Thom's Chance
by Mythical Words
Summary: Thom is a new vampire with the Cullens. Sasha is a outcast at high school. Thom is interested in Sasha's thoughts, which he can hear. When they are assigned to work as partners both of their lives spiral out of control...Thom's P.O.V. of Sasha's Words.
1. Written Words

**Thom's Chance Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. **

I was leaning against my closed locker waiting for my new family, the Cullens. I knew they weren't in the immediate vicinity of me because I couldn't hear their thoughts. Edward, my brother, could also read thoughts. He was much more powerful than me, his range was broader and he had more control. At the moment the only thoughts I could hear were those of the few boys and girls in the hallway, at their lockers. I couldn't block them out, however hard I tried.

_He must be one of the Cullens. He's soo handsome. Word is only one of them is single. Wonder which one? _A girl nearby was openly staring at me.

_History essay due, algebra test, english quiz... Worst day ever. _A boy slammed his locker door shut and slouched away with a grimace.

_Beka has to catch whoever it is. Who in Tortall is doing it? Surely not Rosto. Though he is the Rogue... And this is the second time Beka has run into Dale. He's got to have something to do with the fakes._

This thought made me turn my mind to the girl who was across the hall from me. She had long blue tinted black hair and big, dark blue eyes. What on earth was she thinking about? Who were Beka and Dale? And what was that about fakes? In her mind I caught a glimpse of a book. It was Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce. Maybe she was thinking about the book.

_I have to find out what comes next. Even if it means giving up my lunch. Not like the food is in any way appealing. _

I could see, in my peripheral vision, the girl taking a very thick novel out of her locker and closing the door. She held the book like it was the most precious and breakable thing in the world. Her eyes were soft and a look of joy and excitement entered her face as she thought about reading the next chapter. There was a sudden ache in me as I looked at her face. I wanted to be the reason that her face was lit up with joy and excitement. I wanted to hold her the way she held that book. I quickly checked my thoughts and feelings as my adopted family came within "hearing" range. I waited until they had reached me then walked with them. As we walked past the girl her eyes flickered up only briefly and then back to her book.

_Oh, those new kids Terri was going on and on about. They are rather odd. _Then her mind, like her eyes, went back to her book. I was suddenly over-glad that Edward's thoughts were on Bella, who walked by his side, and that Alice was searching the future for the gift that Jasper was getting for her. When we reached the cafeteria we got food- food that we would just throw away- and sat down at an empty table. The cafeteria filled up quickly as we sat, waiting for the next period. I could hear the bored thoughts of my siblings. They'd all been vampires (and humans) longer than me. Bella, the youngest, had been a vampire for two years and I hadn't even been a vampire for one. As humans they'd all been transformed in their late teens, while I was barely sixteen. I felt like running as far as possible away from this place. Only the thought of the situation that would put my family in held me in place. The human blood around me wasn't what got to me, though. It was the mental din in the cafeteria. Everyone was thinking something and I heard every word of every thought. Unlike Edward I couldn't tone it down until it became the ignorable buzz of a full room, I had no control whatsoever. I felt like I was drowning in thoughts that weren't my own. I opened my eyes- having unknowingly closed them- and noticed everyone in my adopted family staring at me. I managed a weak smile and tried to pretend that there was nothing wrong. Ha. Like that would work. Now that Edward, Jasper, and Alice were all paying attention to me, I had no way of hiding.

"What's wrong?" Emmett asked in a voice too low and fast for any human to hear. I just shook my head.

"He can't control the thoughts," Edward had his face screwed up and I knew that he was experiencing the same thing that I was, "It's overwhelming."

"You can tone it down, I can't." I informed him as I let my face relax into the smooth mask that hid my feelings.

"You won't do anything crazy." Alice assured me. I raised my eyebrows slightly in disbelief. The bell rang and we all stood up. We disposed of our uneaten lunched and went to class. When I was sure that none of my siblings were intruding on my privacy, I sagged against the wall. Edward had thought to me as we parted, _the reason it's so hard on you is because you hear each and every voice. Try to tune it out so that its only a buzz in the background._

I knew that, after all that's what I had been trying all throughout lunch to no avail. I was so overwhelmed that I honestly didn't remember which class I was supposed to be in next. So I skipped. The class after that, which was also the last class of the day, was Creative Writing. The first thing I noticed when I walked through the door was the book girl. She sat at one of the desks in the front. I took a seat in the back, knowing the humans would shy away from me. I hated that. I just wanted to be one of them. I hated seeing them flinch or seeing the disgusting fantasies in the girls' minds. I knew that we were physically attractive to our "prey", but I wished they wouldn't include me in their daydreams.

"Okay, kids!" Mrs. Kloren stood up at the front of the class, a fake smile on her face. "This semester we'll be writing stories. You're going to have a partner who will critique your work and you will, in turn critique your partner's work. I'll be choosing you partner for you and then giving you your assignments."

The translation: I don't want to have to do all the correcting and I am passing this off as a brilliant idea.

Teachers were lazy, at least the ones at this school. I didn't want to do this. Whoever I was paired with would never be comfortable near me. Then Mrs. Kloren started pairing everyone off.

"Kurby go with Lorren. Lisa with Morgana." I almost missed my name. "Sasha with Thomas."

Mrs. Kloren told us to sit next to our partners, but I didn't get up. I didn't know who Sasha was.

_Poor girl. He looks creepy. And that big brother of his, ugh. _That was the boy a seat to the front and left, thinking about Emmett.

_Sash is sooo lucky. If only Mrs. Kloren had called my name. I'll most definitely be calling Sasha after school. She better not be difficult. _That was a girl in the front of the class. I could feel the crush blossoming in her thoughts. Great.

When everyone sat down again the book girl- Sasha- sat next to me.

I turned to her and said, "Hi, I'm Thomas Cullen."

"Obviously," she muttered low enough so that if I had had human ears I wouldn't have heard. Raising her voice she said, "I'm Sasha."

"Pay attention!" Mrs. Kloren barked at the front of the class, "You'll be writing a ten to thirty page fiction story. Brainstorm ideas and discuss them with your partner." She sat down and thought, _Ahh. Peace._

I picked up my pencil and jotted down several ideas, the first that popped into my head, then I listened to the minds around me, searching for Sasha's.

_Oh, lord what on earth am I gonna write?_

_What will Mrs. Kloren say about that?_

_That's a stupid idea._

_Maybe if I added a dragon..._

_Scratch that._

_Oooh! I love that!_

Then finally, _that might work. But only if I twist it a bit. Alexakai the shape-shifter. Decent idea._

"Okay, switch papers or read out loud to your partner."

_Ha! Like I would want to read my ideas out loud so everyone can have more ammunition to make fun of me. Right. Totally going to happen. NOT! _Sash thought, as she handed me her papers. There were five, covered front and back with tiny, neat script. I glanced at Sasha and started to read. What I read fascinated me even more than her thoughts. Her writing was so different, so original, that I thought of nothing else while I was reading it. Her first idea was about a girl who finds out about mythical creatures. The second was about a girl who discovers that she can shape shift into a cat, finds three others who can do the same and then uncovers surprising truths about her family. There was a sample scene at the end. It read: _Alex stood in the doorway to her house. Her compact athletic figure was framed by light from the street lamp. Her blonde hair swirled around her shoulders. Poking out of the top of her head were cat ears that twitched in every direction. Her gray eyes pierced the still air and her chest rose and fell with angry breaths. The whole effect made her look surreal and mythical. Cat claws stuck out of her fingers as she hissed. The sound was terrifying and her open mouth revealed sharply pointed teeth. _

"_You lied to me," the words contained worlds of anger, confusion, and misery._

"Well?" Sasha interrupted me as I stared at the bottom of the last sheet. _Come on. Just tell me I'm a freak and get over with it._

"This is really good. You're the best writer I've ever met."

_Like he's met a million famous writers._

I smiled without revealing my teeth, "Although I will admit that there are better writers in the world."

_Oh my gosh._ Sasha's thoughts were amazed. I was confused. Most females reacted like that when they met my brothers and me, but Sasha hadn't. My confusion was absolved when she thought, a few seconds later, _it's like he knew what I was thinking. He probably just saw it on my face. It must have been obvious. Everyone tells me how rude I am._

Rude? I thought she was the most fascinating human being in the world. She really wasn't affect by my unnatural beauty. She certainly had an imagination.

_I'm waiting. Or are you going to linger all day?_ Alice asked me as she leaned against the wall outside the classroom. I quickly realized three things; 1) the bell had rung, 2) Sasha had left, and 3) there was a piece of paper on the floor beside my desk. I picked up the paper stashed it in my backpack and walked out the door.

"Thom," Alice said in her tinkling voice as she thought, _why exactly is your future changing so rapidly?_

"Later." I muttered. Once we got to the house I went for a run. I spent a lot of my free time trying to escape from it all. I rarely hunted, the thought of drinking blood repelled me even as my body hungered for it. I ran until I found a strong, comfortable tree. When I got there I opened my backpack. The piece of paper that I had picked up fell out. I grabbed it and looked at the neat script, Sasha had written this.

_The corridor was full of bustling people and loud noises, but he was the only one I saw. His pale white face was screwed up as if the noise hurt his ears. His face was narrow, his nose and chin strong. His thick eyebrows were set over golden eyes. His shoulders slumped. He lifted his hand first to his temple then to his shaggy hair. His hair was dark, almost brown. It was a mixture of honey blonde, vivid red, and light chocolate brown. His hair, his face, even the outline of his defeated form looked pained. It was as if he was going through some horrible trial while the rest of us attended school and ate lunch._

**A/N: Please review, even if you hate it. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Visions and Realizations

**Thom's Chance Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer.**

**Thanks to Amcraw123, my amazing beta-reader!**

I raised my hand to my almost brown hair. My hair had always been strange. It had always been blonde, brown and red at the same time. Why had she written about me? What did this mean? Why did I feel something like hope swell in my empty chest? No one besides my family had noticed my struggle, so why had Sasha? I closed my eyes. An image formed on my eyelids. It was my family. The image was of Bella and Edward, leaning into each other, of Emmett hugging Rosalie, of Jasper and Alice staring into each others' eyes. Of Esme and Carlisle holding hands; when I thought of love- romantic love, that is- this was the thing that came to mind. So why was I thinking of it now? I puzzled over this for several minutes before realization hit me. Without my knowledge or consent; I had fallen in love with Sasha!

I sat there for an indeterminable amount of time, mulling over this realization. More than ever, I found myself wishing that I was human. I got up, suddenly needing to move. I didn't want to run so I leaped from tree to tree, like a flying squirrel. Sometime before dawn I started home. I hoped no one had missed me. After all, Esme worried about me almost incessantly and I usually came home before dark. The house looked almost identical to the previous one, the one in Forks, being big and pale and full of windows. I sat down on the grass of the front lawn. Carefully I opened my backpack and extracted the homework that I had meant to do in the tree. By the time it was done, I was easily distracted by my own thoughts, it was time to leave for school. I flitted inside and changed clothes. When I got in the car everyone else was waiting for me.  
_Poor kid, maybe he's going crazy._ Emmett's thoughts were sympathetic.  
_Hi, Thom._ Edward greeted me.  
_My hair!_ Rosalie was too selfish to care where I had been.  
_We need to talk; soon._ Alice told me. I cringed, imagining what she wanted to talk about.  
_He's hiding something_. _I can't tell what... _Jasper mused on the state of my mood.

School was a long and hard trial of hiding my thoughts and feelings. Not for the first time, I was glad that Edward could only hear thoughts as they were thought. Creative Writing wasn't easy. We wrote summaries of the ideas we had chosen. I often got distracted from my work by Sasha. Her thoughts, her words, even her looks made me forget what I was writing. I did my best to hide everything because I knew that my adopted siblings were worried about me, so they were probably monitoring me. Carefully stowing away all of my stray thoughts, I walked at a human pace to the parking lot. I knew pretending to be human often annoyed the others, but not me. I wanted to be human too much to care. I slipped into the car and Edward started to drive.  
"Thomas," Alice's voice penetrated the comfortable silence, "we have to talk."  
"No, we don't." I ignored the thoughts of everyone in the car, a skill that only worked on my family members because I knew them well enough to guess what they were thinking.  
"Yes, we do. Or would you like me to share?"  
I winced. Alice was purposefully not thinking of the visions she had seen, but Edward and I both knew approximately what they contained.  
_Please keep it to yourself! Just until I figure this out!_ I almost begged Edward.  
_Of course. _Edward replied, face smooth.  
"Later." The word was mangled because I was gritting my teeth together very tightly.  
When we get back! Alice insisted.  
_I'll stay in the house. Get out of my range if you don't want me to hear._ Edward added.

"Well?" Alice asked, impatient as she sat on the large rock.  
"Well what?" I knew Alice so well that I didn't need the ability to read minds to know that she was going crazy with curiosity.  
"What about these visions; your future?" She thought about the visions she had seen, letting me see each one in detail.  
_Sasha sat laughing on a chair in my room. She reached her hand out to my face and trailed her fingers around my forehead. I caught her hand and kissed it. Laughter was in my face and joy in my eyes. There was no tension between us. She said something and I nodded. _  
The vision changed. This was a different possibility, another outcome.  
_Sasha stood at one end of a room I'd never seen before and I stood at the other. She screamed at me, looking madder than anything. I screamed back, looking like I was in a murderous temper.  
_The scene shifted again and I saw a different future.  
_Sasha stared at me, terrified beyond words. My eyes were black and I looked completely wild, I grabbed her and bared her neck, preparing to partake of her blood._  
I stared at Alice in the short pause between futures. In her eyes were hundreds of futures, and hundreds of apologies.  
_I lay on the forest floor reading a book. Sasha appeared, her eyes twinkling. She was a vampire. Her skin was hard and glistening in the faint sunlight. She wrestled the book out of my hands and kissed me._  
"See? This is what we need to talk about." Alice rested her hand on my arm, looking at me with sisterly worry in her eyes.  
"There aren't any more?" I asked, suspicious. Even without Jasper's gift with moods I could feel the guilt pouring off Alice. "What is the last one about? The one you haven't shown me."  
_I sat in a magnificent church. A wedding was obviously about to start but I was hunched down in the very back. Then the bride walked up the aisle. She was Sasha. I watched as Sasha married the dashing young man, misery clear on every plane of my unhappy face.  
_"Why do you think I didn't want to show you?" Alice whispered softly. I knew now why. Even the possibility hurt more than anything I could remember, even the fire of becoming a vampire. Well, almost. It didn't hurt quite as much as what my parents had done to me.  
"You'll have to tell them. They'll find out soon."  
"Alice, I can't." How could I tell my newly adopted family about this?  
"Fine, tell me everything."  
So, I told her, knowing that I had to tell someone before exploded from the pressure of it all. She didn't speak until I was done, "May I see the paper?"  
I handed it to her, careful not to rip it. She read it and handed it back to me.  
"They're going to figure it out; Jazz and Edward at least."  
"You'll help?"  
Alice nodded, hesitated, and then whispered, "She needs us."  
I snorted derisively. Everyone needs a family of vampires in their life.  
_Thomas, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it._ Alice was hiding something from me. But she was so determined to keep it hidden that I knew I wouldn't be able to convince her to tell.  
Together we stood and walked back to the house, to tell everyone else.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing (hint, hint)! Next chapter soon!**


	3. Dance

**Thom's Chance Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. **

**Thanks to my awesome beta reader, Amcraw123!**

"What? Again?" Rosalie shot out of her seat, her voice very high.  
"Calm down." Alice rolled her eyes and Jasper sent out waves of calm.  
"What did you see?" Carlisle asked Alice.  
"She saw five main visions." My voice was pained as I continued, answering the curious and angry thoughts, "One had a human Sasha and me in my room, laughing and happy. The next was us yelling at each other. The third was me losing control and drinking her blood." My voice was dead as I continued, "In the fourth she was a vampire. In the fifth I watched her wedding."  
"Are you sure?" Carlisle asked Alice, who only nodded her head. "There are no other alternatives?"  
"The way things are going it is highly unlikely that he will be able to escape her notice." Edward told the table as he concentrated on Alice. He, too, seemed to sense that she was hiding something. I stood up and looked out the window, putting my back to my family.  
"And why is that? What if he just stops himself from ever seeing her again?" Rosalie demanded.  
"I can't." My whisper was so quiet that vampire ears could only barely catch it. "I don't have enough self-control."  
"Get some more." Rosalie snapped, irritated. I whirled to face her. She didn't care what I was going through, only that I was new to this family and I was causing a possible catastrophe.  
_Wish he'd never fallen for a human._ She thought bitterly.  
"I do too, Rose. Believe me." My voice was bitter.  
"Does she know?" Carlisle was intent on understanding exactly how things stood.  
"No."  
_Are you going to show them the paper?_ Alice asked, silently.  
"No way."  
"Come on."  
"Alice! No!"  
"It's the only thing that will change their minds about the silly human." Alice told me, crossing her arms.  
"I don't care." I did though.  
"Fine, I'll show it."  
"How? I have it." I reminded Alice as we stood glaring at each other.  
"Not for long."  
"Just show it, Thomas." Edward intervened. Everyone was looking at Alice and me, waiting for us to come to a decision and tell them what we had been talking about.  
"Fine," I spit the word out and threw the piece of paper to him. He caught it easily and opened it. He read it in less than five seconds.  
_Perceptive girl._ Edward remarked as he handed it to Bella. There was no way of knowing her thoughts because she hadn't taken away her shield.  
Bella in turn handed it to Jasper who merely thought, _here we go again._  
Around the table it went. I tried very hard to ignore their thoughts, but it didn't seem to be working.  
"Humph." Rosalie tossed the paper aside, "Just leave. Go back to wherever you came from."  
"Rose! Don't go, Thomas. Work things out here." Esme's voice, eyes, and thoughts were worried. Everyone in this family had gone through this with Bella and Edward, except me.  
_You don't crave her blood at all?_ Jasper asked me.  
I shook my head, "Sasha's blood smells bitter and very unappealing."  
"Do what you think best." Carlisle told me.  
I walked out of the room ignoring Emmett's mutter of "he's crazy."

My room was rather empty. It contained only the clothes that Alice had bought for me and made me accept, a couple shelves of books, a couch, and a chair. I lay down on the couch, closed my eyes, and mulled over everything that had been said and done until morning.

Like the day before, I was the last to enter the car. I could tell from Rosalie's dark glares in my direction that she was still mad at me. No one else was as affected by last night's conversation. Emmett was trying to calm Rosalie down, but was failing miserably because he was too amused at the whole situation.  
The morning passed quickly and I skipped lunch, unable to endure that many thoughts added to my own. I entered the creative writing class full of dread. Sasha already sat at her desk, head bent over her work. She looked up as I sat down, careful to make as much noise as any human would.  
_Oh! Just Thomas, let's see. Hmm... _  
_How do I tell him?_  
_What do I say?_  
_How do I say it?_  
_What should I do?_  
Mrs. Kloren told us to critique any work that the other had already done. I found only a few things that could be fixed on the five pages that Sasha had written. I was pointing them out to her when I looked directly into her face. Her thoughts about her story stuttered as she looked at me.  
_Pay attention!_ She reprimanded herself as she listened to me, _parallel construction, grammar, i before e..._  
I said, "Okay, your turn."  
Sasha blinked, shook her head like she was straightening out her thoughts and pointed out a few things from my story.  
When the bell rang and we were both gathering our stuff I smiled and said, "I can't wait to see the ending to your story."  
Then I walked out before I said anything else.  
_The ending, was that supposed to be rude? But it sounded like he really likes my writing. Whatever… It's not like I care._ The last thought sounded rather like Sasha was trying to convince herself, not state a certainty.  
_Come on, Thomas_. Alice walked past me and I fell in step with her. Out of all my family members I was closest to Alice. She had seen me in the beginning and had found me before I did something horrible. She always kept an eye out for me.  
"How are things?" Alice asked in a voice to fast for the humans around us to hear, much less understand.  
"Fine," I said and I shrugged, slightly.  
"Thomas." Alice said in a pay-attention-now voice.  
"What?" I couldn't hear her thoughts because I was too overwhelmed by the humans around me.  
"Thomas!" Sasha's voice rang out from behind me. "You dropped this."  
I turned and saw that she was offering me my notebook. "Thanks."  
"Your welcome," She turned and walked away thinking, _is that his sister? Or his girlfriend?_ then in an emphatic tone, as if scolding herself, _I don't care_.  
I turned back to Alice and we walked to the car.

"Are you coming?" Alice trilled from the door. Edward, Bella, Rose, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice were standing in the garage. Carlisle and Esme had already left. There was a benefit dance at the hospital that Carlisle had just started working at and he was giving a speech. I didn't want to go.  
"No."  
Alice frowned. "Thom!"

"What?"

Trust me. And go put on the clothes I laid out on your couch.  
I sighed and stood up. Immediately a vision formed in Alice's head. To stop me from seeing it she started translating the book she'd just read into Greek. I rolled my eyes as Edward raised an eyebrow.

We arrived just in time to hear Carlisle's short speech. Then everyone started dancing. My family was in the center of the dance floor, gracefully spinning and twirling. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. The noise inside my head was much too loud. I heard every single thought of everyone attending the dance. Most of them were trivial and not worth repeating. There were several thoughts about my family; how nice the kids were, how great Carlisle was, what a lovely family, etc. Then I heard one thought that greatly surprised me.  
_This is so boring. Mom wouldn't even let me bring my book. This is the first time I've seen her in a month and already she's dancing with handsome strangers. She's barely spoken a word to me._  
I fought to concentrate on Sasha's bitter thoughts, but the other thoughts overpowered hers.  
"Hi, Thomas," Sasha's voice interrupted my misery.  
My eyes opened and I smiled slightly, "How did you know I was here?"  
"Your siblings." Sasha nodded to my whirling family, _why isn't he out there dancing? None of them lack skill. Or grace._  
"They forced me to come." I told her.  
A peculiar look crossed her face as she asked, "Are you all related?"  
I chuckled, "No. We were adopted, except Rosalie and Jasper. They've been with Esme awhile."  
"Who's who?" _Jasper, Rosalie? Is Rosalie the little girl? Oh, I'm all confused._  
I pointed to myself, "I'm Thomas."  
"Duh," was her only response to that…  
I pointed to Edward and Bella, "The boy with the bronze hair is Edward. The girl with the brown hair is Bella." I pointed to Alice, "The little pixie with black hair is Alice. She's with Jasper. Alice has a gift for being annoying. The statuesque-" here I rolled my eyes, making it clear that my opinion of Rosalie wasn't exactly high, "blonde is Rosalie and the big guy who is dancing with her is Emmett."  
_Are they all together? Or are they just dancing together? There isn't a polite way of asking or answering that question. _  
At that moment the song ended and my family drifted over. In the instant it took to look into Alice's eyes I realized that she had known that Sasha would be here and that's why she had made me come. Sasha's question was answered by the way they moved together. Edward rested his hand on the small of Bella's back and she snaked her arm around his waist. Emmett had his bulky arm around Rose's shoulders; Jasper and Alice held hands.  
_Guess that answers that question._  
"Sasha, darling, come meet my friend!" A woman who I presumed to be Sasha's mom- they looked a lot alike- stood nearby calling Sasha.  
_Oh, great. She better not start a relationship with him. The last argument was bad enough. The next one might cause the end of our family._ "Bye, Thomas." Sash muttered as she walked away with a very fake smile plastered on her face.  
"Having a nice time?" Alice asked, voice and face innocent, thoughts full of triumphant glee.  
"Hilarious," I said dryly. I spent the rest of the evening leaning against the wall. I saw Sasha leave shortly after her mom called her away.  
_I told you to trust me and I was right. Something shifted tonight, probably for the good._ Alice thought to me as we pulled into the driveway. I frowned. It wasn't that I didn't believe her, it was the probably that worried me. I spent the night in my room reading library books in various languages.

**Next chapter coming soon!**


	4. The Library

**Thom's Chance Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer.**

**Thanks sooo much to Amcraw123 for the wonderful beta-ing!**

The next morning was Saturday and I was out of books in French. Alice and I went to the library, me for books, and her for something in the shop next door. While I was looking over the rather small selection of books I saw Sasha.  
"Where did you go last night?" I asked after saying hi.  
"Home, my sister needed to be put to bed and I didn't want to stick around to watch Mom dance." And woo some poor, stupid, handsome man. I can't be involved in her or Dad's other relationships. Sass needs me too much.  
"Sasha! I'm ready!" A little girl of about four slipped into the room and hid behind Sasha when she saw me.  
"Your sister?" I asked, though both their thoughts made it clear that she was. Sasha nodded and I smiled in a friendly manner- without opening my mouth- to the little girl. For some reason, probably because I wanted to be as human as possible, I was always much less frightening to humans than my siblings. The little girl peeked out and I asked, "What is your name, young Madame?"  
"Sassafras." Her voice was a squeak.  
"And do you have books to read, Princess Sassafras? Or did you come here to see your friends?"  
Sass showed me her books and I picked one up. It was a picture book about Fancy Nancy. I pretended to study the page intently then looked at Sassafras, "I might not let you take this book home with you. It looks much too interesting."  
Sass frowned, "Give it back!"  
"Say please." Sasha scolded as she carefully watched the two of us.  
"Please." Sass said obediently.  
I handed the book over to her with a bow and a murmured, "Yes, You're Royal Highness."  
Sass giggled and looked up at her sister.  
"Sit down while I finish looking at books." Sasha told her in a gentle, affectionate tone. Her thoughts were strange as she browsed the shelves; Sass had never spoken to a stranger before. The look on his face as he teased her. Oh! But I can't think like that! Why would he ever like me? It's till entirely possible that he has a girlfriend. Last night didn't change anything. Why is he holding a bunch of books in French? He can read French? Oops he's looking at me. Find the book I'm looking for. Find the book I'm looking for. What book am I looking for? Tamora Pierce. No, Kristin Cashore. Fire. Yes. Fire. Brigandell, Hannadell, and Archer. Oh, this is no good. That's a love story. Let's pick... Briar's Book. About a group of young kids. Good.  
"Thom!" Alice's voice was bored and a tiny bit amused as she leaned against the door frame.  
I turned, and so did Sasha and Sass, "Yes, Alice?"  
"Ready to leave, yet?"  
I nodded and handed Sasha a small scrap of paper. I waved to Sass and walked out with Alice. I decided not to volunteer anything about the scene she'd walked in on.  
What did the note say? Alice asked when we were nearly back to the house.  
"I asked if Sass likes water parks."  
She'll talk to you Monday in school. Now I'm thirsty. Time to hunt.

The time between then and seeing Sasha again seemed to continue forever. On Sunday the only thing I really did was ignore my family and hunt. School on Monday was worse than usual. The time until last period dragged so slowly I could've sworn that one of my family members was playing a prank on me and slowing down all the clocks. Seeing Sasha sitting in her chair, next to mine, suddenly made the entire day worth it. Just for a look at her and a few seconds in her head. Sasha swiveled in her seat and demanded, "How did you know that Sass loves water parks?"  
"A guess." Also a lie. The Fancy Nancy book had been about going to a water park and Sass's thoughts had been filled with longing.  
"Why did you want to know?"  
"I thought she might like to go to one."  
He wants to know if Sass likes water parks because he wants to take her to one. Why would he do something like that?  
"Sassafras looked like a kid who could use a day of fun."  
I wish he would stop doing that. Does his offer have something to do with me? No. That's not possible. I should say yes. He's right. Sass needs the fun. But how can I say yes if he hasn't actually asked?  
"You can tell me tomorrow if she would like to go. If you don't want to go, then don't worry about it, it's not a big deal." But it was.  
"I'm sure she'd love to. She likes being called Princess Sassafras almost as much as she likes water parks."  
I smiled success! "When would be a good time for you?"  
Wow. Wow. He's serious. Better keep this to myself. "How about this weekend?"  
"Maybe Saturday then?" I paused as something else occurred to me. "Or do you need to ask your parents?"  
Right. Like they'll even notice. "They won't care." Sasha replied, an uninterruptable look on her face.  
"I'll pick both of you up Saturday morning then." I said calmly even though I felt like leaping out of my chair in triumph.  
"Okay." Sasha said as she turned to listen to Mrs. Kloren.


	5. Swimming and Talking

**Thom's Chance Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer.**

**Thanks to all the great reviewers and to Amcraw123 the all-mighty beta.**

The rest of the week continued in the same manner. Each day I went to school only to see Sasha in Creative Writing. On Saturday I left the house in my car- everyone in my family had at least one car- and drove to Sasha's house. I knocked gently on the door, calmly noting that my car was the only one in the driveway. Where were Sasha's parents?

"Sass! Don't open the door! Wait for me!" Sasha called from upstairs. But Sass apparently didn't listen because she opened the door a second later.

Sass had a huge smile on her face as she said, "I'm ready to go!" Then she started jumping up and down, oblivious to the items that she was displacing. Sasha rushed down the stairs and scooped up Sass before she could do anymore damage.

"Hello Sasha," my voice was filled with my amusement.

"Hi, Thom." Sasha sat Sass down and picked up a bag. She peered inside then said, "Take this Sass. I need to get your car seat."

Sass picked up the bag and balanced it on her shoulder, promptly falling over. I took the bag from her and helped her to her feet, careful not to touch her bare skin with my cold hands. Sasha came back carrying a bulky thing that she put in the back seat of my car. After a few minutes of fussing with straps she buckled Sass in and I started the car. The park was around forty minutes away and after only ten minutes, Sass's thoughts became bored and irritated.

I turned to Sasha, "Do you have something for Princess Sassafras to play with? If you don't have anything this is going to be one long drive."

Sasha glanced at me then turned and handed Sass a couple dolls from her bag. Within another five minutes Sass was fast asleep, dolls clutched close.

"Why do this for us?" Sasha asked her thoughts unintentionally guarded.

"Because joy is a blessing... And because neither of you seemed to have enough of it."

"Thanks." Sasha said quietly as her eyes darted back to her sister's sleeping form, "She'll do anything for you after this."

I smiled and we spent the rest of the ride in silence. It was a comfortable silence that I didn't want to break. And, to be entirely truthful, I wasn't sure exactly how in control of my tongue I was.

After I paid for the tickets we separated. There were only three entrances to the indoor water park, the woman's changing room, the men's' changing room, and a service entrance. When I came out of the changing room I say Sasha and Sass standing nearby, looking around. Sasha looked beautiful; her blue tinted, straight black hair fell down her shoulders and back. She wore a tankini that was black with small blue polka dots the exact shade as the blue streaks in her hair. Sass wore a small pink one piece and was bouncing up and down in ecstasy. I walked over and said to Sasha, "What is it with you and blue?"

"Very funny," Sasha told me, then glancing at my clothes added, "Why aren't you wearing a swimsuit?"

"I wasn't actually thinking of getting wet." It would be very hard to keep myself human going down a slide, I would go much too fast.

Sasha started to say, "Those tickets were expensive!" But Sass interrupted her.

"You have to swim."

I smiled, for whatever reason I smiled more in five minutes in their company than I did in two days with my family, and turned around. When I had finished changing, I deliberately went at human pace; I emerged again, this time wearing a swimsuit. Sasha glanced at me then focused all her attention on Sass, who was playing in the falling water of a mushroom. Sass ran back over and jumped up and down more than before until Sasha placed her hands on her shoulders, holding her down.

Sasha asked me, "Ready?" she glanced up at me then back down at the ecstatic little girl that she was holding down.

"If her Highness is," I said with a bow to Sassafras, who giggled.

"Alright, where to first?" Sasha asked, the corners of her mouth twitching up. Sasha and I proceeded to follow Sass about as she raced every which way. At lunch time Sasha took a break from Sassafras watching to get out the lunch that she'd packed. After going down several more water slides I managed to convince Sass to take a short break for lunch. As we sat down at a plastic table in a roped off area clearly meant for people who were only watching, I looked at the small cooler that Sasha had produced from somewhere, wondering how exactly to approach this situation. Sasha opened it and took out a peanut butter sandwich, no jelly, which she handed to Sass and a tofu/tomato sandwich for herself. Then she looked to me, "Would you like something to eat?"

"No, thanks, I'm not hungry." I said, wondering how either sandwich could be at all appealing. Then a memory, a human memory, appeared in my mind. I had just taken a bite of a peanut butter sandwich and it tasted wonderful. Quickly shaking off this I watched as Sasha regarded me. "I had a big breakfast." I lied.

"Whatever suits you." she said, appearing to shrug it off. I tried to tell if she was suspicious, but my power was often spotty, failing to catch anything more than the top layer of thoughts, the trivial ones.

"Is that good?" I pointed to the sandwich she had in one hand.

She nodded, "Tofu absorbs whatever flavors it's surrounded with."

"No meat?" I asked, trying to find out everything I could at a place that wasn't school.

"I don't eat meat." Sasha told me.

"I do!" piped up the small, smiling child.

"Yes, you do." Sasha handed Sass a rolled up piece of salami and smiled. The tenderness and love in that smile made what was supposed to be my heart ache with love and desire. Not desire for Sasha, the desire for Sasha's love. Sasha continued, "I'm a vegetarian." She paused evidently waiting for something. _What? No sarcastic comments, no rude jokes? _Sasha looked at me and saw something in my face, _no, he's not like that. He's different... I want him to be different. _

"Whatever suits you?" I said it in a calm, indifferent voice, but inside I was confused and furious. I was confused because I couldn't fathom the meaning behind her thoughts. With Sasha there were so many different layers that the thoughts that I heard were only the tiniest portion of what she was actually thinking. I was furious at the people who had made fun of her so often that she expected the hurtful words and was surprised when they didn't come.

"Hilarious." she observed dryly.

"Oh, but it is." I protested mildly. Sasha smiled and wiped Sass's peanut butter covered mouth and fingers. As soon as Sasha was finished Sass leaped up and raced off to the water slides. I grinned and Sasha shook her head.

"Are you ready to chase down the little monster?" I asked as I helped Sasha put away the remnants of their lunch.

"Of course I am."

"Come on in." Sasha said to me, as she walked through the doorway to her house, carrying sleeping Sassafras. I walked in and set the bag and car seat down on the floor. Sasha started to walk up the stairs, still carrying Sass, and tripped. She almost fell on top of Sassafras, but I ran over and caught them both. Sasha gasped and her heart rate sped up a considerable amount. I quickly let go, not only had she felt my cold skin, but she had known that I hadn't been close to catch her. Sasha blushed and I took Sass out of her arms, careful to touch them both only with my jacket.

"Where were you taking her?" I asked, deliberately not meeting Sasha's eyes.

Sasha stared at me, dark blue eyes wide, and mumbled, "Her room."

I started walking up the stairs and Sasha followed. When we reached the top I let Sasha take the lead, pretending that I didn't know which one was Sass's. Sasha opened a door that revealed a small bedroom with a small bed in the middle. I gently lay Sass down on the bed and Sasha covered her with a blanket. Sasha's thoughts, the ones that I could hear anyway, were hidden.

When we were downstairs again Sasha surprised me. She turned to me, hands on hips, and demanded, "What are you?"

I looked at her with a what-do-you-mean expression on my face and she snorted.

"Right, Thomas." Sasha swung her hair over one shoulder and continued, "You don't eat. You're too... prefect." She blushed. "Your skin is freezing. Your eyes change colors. You never trip, stumble, or fall. Let's not forget that you were across the room from me when I fell, but still managed to catch me less than a second later. I'm probably forgetting stuff, but that's all that comes to mind."

"What do you think I am then?" I asked dully. She was so close, too close, to guessing and I couldn't stop her. I loved her too much.

"A mythical creature?"

"A nightmare," I corrected.

"If you don't tell me, I'm going to keep on guessing. Maybe I'll even be kind enough to share." Sasha's jaw and mind were set stubbornly; she meant every word she spoke. I could tell she didn't like the threats she was making, but she would follow through if I forced her to.

I looked at my feet and whispered, "I'm a vampire."

When she didn't reply or move I looked up. Her eyebrows were raised and I couldn't hear any of her thoughts. "I don't think you understand. I'm a _vampire._" I heavily emphasized the word, as if she wasn't very bright.

Her face didn't move, but she thought, _when is he going to get it through his thick skull that I don't care!_

"How can you not care that I'm a monster? Doesn't that matter?"

She shook her head; _I love him too much to care what he is. _

"You love me?" My voice was raw and most definitely surprised.

"You can read minds!"

"I can read the top layer of your thoughts." I scrunched my face up, "Sometimes."

"You heard everything I've thought today?"

"No. I heard most of the most obvious thoughts in your head."

Sasha blushed a deep crimson and her thoughts flicked to what she had been thinking earlier. Then she stopped herself and took firm control of her thoughts.

"There's no need to be embarrassed." I told her.

Sasha thumped down into a chair and said, quite calmly, "But you heard what I was thinking... about you."

"But I was thinking the same thing." When her thoughts had flickered to earlier today I had caught a few thoughts that I hadn't at the time. Actually, I had caught her thoughts about me playing with Sass and laughing.

"About yourself?" Sasha said with a clearly audible snicker.

"About you," I said it so quietly that I wasn't sure that she'd heard. The she thought, _he didn't really say that. Did he?_

"I did say that." I looked up to see her calculating and shocked face, her tough mask gone. Her face scrunched up in a look of concentration and a mental wall went up around her mind. It went in a circle around her thoughts, keeping me out of her head, leaving no crack for me to shove through.

"Where did you learn that?"

"Books." Sasha said casually, as if it was everyday that she put in practice a new theory that she got from a novel. "Can you tell me about being a vampire? I need to cook Sass's dinner."

"Let's see. Most vampires drink human blood."

"Duh," Sasha walked around the kitchen getting out pots and pans and ingredients from the fridge.

"My family and I don't. We only drink animal blood."

"You're a vegetarian. Like me." Sasha smiled and then added, when my smile faltered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you."

"You didn't insult me. We call ourselves vegetarians, it's an inside joke. I was just surprised."

"So everyone in your family..."

"We're vampires who stay together as a family. None of us are actually blood relatives. Except Bella's and Edward's daughter," I told her, watching as she chopped onions, scanning her face for any sign of fear.

"What about your abilities? The defining characteristics of vampires," Sasha asked looking up briefly, her eyes filled with wonder at the discovery of this new world.

"We're graceful, fast, strong, and immortal. We have really sharp senses, especially our smell. We're all physically attractive to our human prey." At this Sasha gave a small snort that confused me. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Duh, anyone seeing all of you at once could tell you that." Sasha explained, understanding my silent question.

"Some of us- like me- have extra abilities. I can hear the thoughts of those in my immediate vicinity, only the top layer of thoughts, and the most obvious. I am easily distracted by large crowds."

"Does it hurt?" Sasha asked as she stirred something in a pot.

"What hurt?" I asked, pretending that I didn't know what she had seen, and written.

"Hearing all those thoughts inside your head, being overwhelmed."

"You saw me." I said it not as a question, but a statement.

She nodded her head. "You looked... defeated…And miserable and hurt."

I put my head in my hands. "It's so much better like this, so much more peaceful."

"Without my thoughts, with only Sass in your head?"

"Sass isn't dreaming so her thoughts aren't in my head either; just me."

Sasha looked at me and evidently saw the pain and suffering on my face. She changed the subject, "What about your family?"

"Edward can hear thoughts; he's much more powerful and in control than me. Alice can see the future, parts of it. Jasper can feel and control the moods of those around him."

"Do..." Sasha trailed off and studied very hard the milk and spices that she was stirring.

"I'm not going to be upset with you for asking questions. I'd actually prefer it." I told her gently, resisting the urge to start pacing from impatience.

"Are you hungry, right now?"

"No. I hunted last night. But it's a thirst not a hunger."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"How long have you been sixteen?"

"Less than a year."

"How long have you been with the Cullen's?"

"Less than a year," I repeated, careful not to show the boiling emotions that raged through me when I thought about what had happened when I had been changed.

"What about your life as a human?"

I decided that it was to time to turn the tables, "You've asked enough questions. You didn't answer mine."

"What question?" Sasha looked up from the dishes that she was washing.

"I asked you if you love me." I searched her face, looking for any hint of anything. The first thing that I saw was clear embarrassment and I realized that all the questions about vampires had been to distract me.

"I... I... Why do you ask in the first place?" Sasha tried to divert my attention.

I smirked slightly, "When I asked why it didn't matter about me being a vampire you thought 'I love him too much to care.' Could you please answer the question?" I tried not to let my pain show through.

Sasha didn't answer.

I whispered, "I love you." because I had to say it and then I walked to the door. Sasha caught up with me very quickly. She stared into my face as if trying to devise the truth. I lifted my hand to her face, careful not to use my extensive strength, and tucked a blue strand of hair behind her ear. She stared into my face as I stared into hers. In her eyes I saw deep, blue wells of emotion, love, wonder, wariness, joy, confusion. I carefully and very slowly so she could pull out of my grasp at any time, wrapped my arms around her.

She relaxed into me as she whispered, "I love you." She inhaled, barely keeping her mental wall from collapsing. I stood perfectly still, just holding her. After a few minutes that seemed like an eternity, a timer went off in the kitchen.

"What are you making?" I asked as I looked at the pot on the stove.

"Mac and cheese, and peas. Go wake, Sass. It's time for dinner, for us humans." Sasha teased her eyes glinting with mischief. I obeyed.

Waking Sass was easier said than done. Finally she woke when I took her out of bed and set her on her feet. She blinked blearily up at me then dashed to the door shrieking, "Mac and cheese, and peas!"

I chuckled and followed her down.

The two sisters happily ate their meal as I watched. When Sasha took the dishes into the kitchen Sassafras asked, "Do you love Sasha?"

I nodded, having been fore-warned by Sass's thoughts. Sometimes little kids were amazing. "Your sister is very special."

Sassafras said, quite seriously for her four years of age, "She needs someone to take care of her."

"Just like she takes care of you." I nodded my head in agreement, knowing this wasn't the time for jokes.

A second or two later there was the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Sassafras flinched at the noise of two slamming car doors and stomping feet. Sasha walked out of the kitchen to meet my eyes and stare at the door. There was no way I could leave without being noticed. The door was yanked open and Sasha's parents came in.

**So, what do you think? More specifically, what do you think of Sasha, Sass, and Thom? (the characters I own)**


	6. Lousy Parents

**Thom's Chance Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. (I hope you realize that by now.)**

**A/N: Thanks to Amcraw123 the beta of this story!**

The door was yanked open and Sasha's parents came in. They both stopped in their tracks when they saw me.

"Who're you?" They asked at almost the same time.

"Thomas Cullen." I stood up, "I was just working on a school assignment with Sasha." Lying was definitely the best decision in this situation.

Sasha's mom shrugged and said, "Fine."

Sasha's dad whirled on her, "What do you mean 'fine'?"

"I mean exactly what I said."

They started to scream at each other, not noticing anyone or thing else. Very quickly their argument left the topic of Sasha and they screamed accusations at each other, accusations that had nothing to do with me. I quickly slipped out the door and Sasha followed me, scooping up Sass on her way. Once we were outside I ruffled Sass's hair in goodbye. Then I turned to Sasha. After making sure that her parents were busy screaming at each other I gave her a quick, gentle hug.

I whispered in her ear, "I'll meet you in the woods behind your house tomorrow at noon."

Then I let go of her, kissed her forehead, and got into my car. I left Sasha still standing there, her eyes wide, her pulse racing. I didn't think that was because of the proximity of my venomous fangs. Once I was out of sight I let a large grin spread over my face. Things had changed dramatically for the better in only a few hours.

Before today I would've gone for my customary run, but Alice was waiting for me. She didn't even let me out of the car before she started her rapid fire questioning. I would've grouched and grumped, but I was too happy to even think of such gloomy things. I knew that every single member of my family heard me answer Alice. Carlisle was glad that things had worked out, Esme was happy for me, Rosalie was disgusted, Emmett was amused, Jasper was well... neutral, and Edward wasn't surprised. I couldn't hear Bella's thoughts.

I passed the time thinking back over the entire time that I had known Sasha, recalling her bitter thoughts and remarks about her parents, and wondering just how stable a situation she and her sister were in. From the shouted insults- none of them were polite- of the day before I guessed that whatever it was it wasn't good.

I took off into the woods, speeding over the ground so quickly that I felt like I was flying. Once I had reached Sasha's house- we had only been here a short while, but my numerous hours spent running had given me a very good idea of the lay of the land- I sniffed the air and caught Sasha's bittersweet scent. I followed the trail to where Sasha sat, leaning against a large tree. Her face was an emotionless mask and her thoughts were protected by the wall. When she saw me she lost control of her emotions. Tears streamed down her face and her mental wall wavered. In an instant I was beside her and pulling her into my arms. Sasha buried her head in my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me. She cried so long and so hard that my shirt was completely soaked by the time she was through. I held her, stroking her hair, whispering soothing words until she was only sniffling.

After she had wiped away the last tear, I asked, "What happened?"

Obviously something was wrong. I didn't know, but I could imagine, what had made this strong girl weep.

Sasha said, without looking up, her face still pressed into my chest, "My parents-" she spit out the word like it was evil, "-decided to go on a vacation to 'save their marriage.' They're going on a cruise around the world. They'll be back in a few years; if at all."

"What about Sass? What about you? Who'll pay the bills?" I held Sasha tighter than ever praying that she wouldn't have to leave.

Sasha sniffed and shifted her head so that her nose was against my neck. "They took Sass to my aunt who lives in Maine. I've paid the bills using a special account of theirs for a long while. They even discontinued their cell phones. I've no way of reaching them."

Sasha closed her eyes, looking weak, distraught, and miserable all at the same time. My anger flared and I had to keep careful control of myself. However mad I was at the people who hurt Sasha so, I couldn't show it. Not to her. After another silent hour of sitting in my arms, Sasha stood up, brushing the forest dirt off of her pants. I stood with her.

"Go home, Thom." Sasha told me as she looked at my still-wet shirt.

"Sasha, why should I leave you?" I asked, wanting to hold her in my arms again.

"Because I'm making you promise to go home to your vampire family." Sasha said as she propped one fist on her hip.

"Why?" My voice clearly showed all the hurt that I felt at her words and Sasha relented. She leaned into me and lightly kissed my neck.

"Because my situation is making you angry, you should let out your anger around others of your kind; your equals." Sasha reached her hand to my cheek and stroked it. I stared at her, surprised. It was amazing how well she knew me. How she knew the emotions that I suppressed for her benefit.

"I promise." I whispered into her hand. She managed a shaky smile and walked back to her house. I watched her go, bundled up in a warm sweatshirt and pants even though fall was only just beginning.

As soon as she was in her house I started to run. I raced back to my house, letting my rage flow through my limbs, letting it drive me faster and faster until I came into the sight of the house. I slowed to a walk and went in the front door. I guess my entrance was a little louder than usual, because everyone in the downstairs looked at me.

Alice asked in her chiming voice, eyes worried, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I barely contained the snarl that was building in my throat. Then a thought came to me. That day in the forest when I told Alice about everything for the first time Alice had said that Sasha needed me, she needed us. "You knew?"

Alice nodded her head.

_Maybe the girl broke up with him. _Rosalie thought in a maliciously hopeful tone. I snarled at her and she continued, _Ha! Serves him right for falling in love with a weak, ugly human. _

That did it for myself restraint. I was about to pounce on Rosalie when Emmett appeared in front of her, protecting his mate. I spun around and dashed up the stairs to my room, grabbed my backpack, and jumped out the window, landing with a slight thud. I ran to a tree that was just the right distance from the house- far enough so I couldn't hear their thoughts, but close enough so I could hear them speak, and so Edward could hear my thoughts.

Alice asked again, "What's wrong with, Thomas?"

Rosalie was the first to reply, "Who cares?"

Edward started to speak, but was interrupted by the ring of a phone.

Rosalie answered, "Hello?"

What passed for my heart sank when Sasha replied, "Is Thomas there?"

"No." Rosalie almost growled and hung up.

"Come on, Thom." Edward whispered, obviously hear my battling thoughts. I made a split-second decision and stood up, my backpack slung over one shoulder. I ran towards the house, barely noticing the ground and trees around me. I slipped inside and again found everyone looking at me. I picked up the phone and dialed Sasha's number.

"Hello!"

"Hey Sash." I said in a calm voice, "I believe you called."

"I was just making sure that you kept your unwilling promise."

"Well, I don't know. For all you know, I could be anywhere." I teased gently.

"Then why are you calling from the land line?" Sasha asked in a gotcha-now tone.

"True." I acquiesced.

Sasha swore and continued, "That's my aunt calling. Probably wanting to know why Sass won't eat P.B. and J sandwiches. Bye, Thom."

"Bye." I repeated then pressed the off button. I turned to find a group of very curious vampires raising their eyebrows at me.

"Strange promise," Edward said, conversationally.

Alice scowled, "What promise? I didn't see you making any promises."

I snorted and sat down. "Sasha made me promise to come straight back here."

Edward's mind flicked back to when he and Bella had first gotten together. She hadn't wanted him to leave.

_Sasha didn't want me to be angry and out of control around her. She sent me here so I could let out my rage without hurting her. _I explained to Edward.

_Rage? _Edward asked.

"Yes, rage." I lost the ability to speak mentally with Edward as Rosalie's thoughts invaded my mind.

_Stupid girl. Should've told him to get lost. _Rosalie thought and I carefully ignored her.

"Why?" Edward asked, out loud. He knew that I couldn't talk to him mentally when I was trying so hard to ignore Rosalie.

"Because of her immature parents," I turned to Alice, "Later. I'll tell you later."

Alice wasn't dying to know why I was so angry which only confirmed my guess about how much she was hiding from me. She turned to Jasper, who sat beside her and told him, with her eyes, _go fight with Thomas. _Jasper got up, bestowed a small kiss upon her head and then walked with me to the door. We went outside and started to fight, careful to keep the noise to a bare minimum. It was more of an exercise than a true fight, something to keep my mind off Sasha rather than trying to hurt each other. But the movement allowed me to vent my fury without hurting anyone. By the time we stopped I had my emotions completely under control again. Then Alice and I went hunting. Well, Alice hunted and I watched and ran. I only hunted when absolutely necessary and it wouldn't be absolutely necessary for me to hunt helpless animals for another week and a half or so. I told Alice everything away from the ears of our vampire family. It wasn't that I was keeping anything a secret, more that their thoughts would have sent me over the edge.

I walked into Creative Writing the next day, eager to see Sasha and confirm that she was fine. She looked just the same as ever. Her blue eyes were perhaps a bit sadder than usual, but she hid the hurt I knew she must be feeling well. I had seen how much she loved her sister. At the end of the class, and the day, I turned to Sasha and said, "So I met your..." I trailed off, not wanting to hurt her more.

"Thom." Sasha smiled at me and I momentarily forgot what I wanted to say, not something vampires do.

"I met your family and I wanted you to meet mine." I said, carefully inspecting her face for any sign of fear or any other emotion. I probed her mind gently. She wasn't letting me know anything. So maybe she didn't like this idea.

"When?" Sasha picked up her books and pencils.

"I was hoping for today." I made sure that it sounded like a vague suggestion, not something I had seriously thought about. If Sasha didn't want to I wasn't going to make her. We walked out of the classroom.

"Guess I'm not taking the bus home then." Sasha said as she ignored the stares of the people we passed. My family and I had already developed a reputation for keeping to ourselves.

I chuckled and we walked to my car. I had decided to drive rather than catch a ride with Edward.

**Soooo... I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to post the next chapter. Thanks for reading, please review!**


	7. I Love You

**Thom's Chance Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. **

**Thanks to Amcraw123, the all powerful beta, and to Undefined-Undrawn, Evermore-Azariel, majorgLeek1397, GoGreen52, and KitaKat for reviewing!**

We dropped Sasha's things off at her house and she changed from Capri's into jeans and added a sweatshirt to her outfit. I smiled slightly. It was warm and only early fall, but Sasha was fully prepared for freezing vampires. As she got back in the car I noticed a faint crease in her forehead.

"It'll be fine." I said quietly. It was a lie. Rosalie was not going to be fine about this.

By the time we got to my home, the rest of my family had returned and no one, excepting myself, was absent. Sasha got out of the car and I suddenly saw her as the others did. I saw a tan, heavyset girl with large blue eyes and long, thick, black-tinted-blue hair. Her right hand carried a book- she was never without at least one- and her left hand reached out to me. My moment of insight ended and I saw her the way I had seen her before: beautiful, amazing, and intelligent (duh), and worthy of someone better than me, a bloodthirsty monster.

"Slow poke." she accused with a particularly carefree smile. I looked at that smile and saw its fragility. The girl who had soaked my shirt with her tear was just below the surface, still in pain. I quickly set aside that thought and jumped to her side in one leap. She slipped her hand into mine and leaned against me for less than a second. Then we walked, at human speed, to the front door. Upon entering the house we found everyone, excepting Rosalie, in the living room. My eyes, and thoughts, were immediately drawn to the two newcomers in the room. Renesmee and Jake had just arrived back from Forks, where they'd been visiting the wolf pack and Jake's family. Alice bounced out of her seat and skipped over to us.

Her voice tinkled as she said to me, "Thanks for the warning, Thomas."

"No problem." I told her.

"Hello, Alice." Sasha said in a confident, easy voice, as if she was just saying hello to a human acquaintance.

Alice smiled, probably having expected just this reaction from Sasha, "Hi! What book?" She pointed to the book in Sasha's hand.

"The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce," Sasha said as she handed it to Alice.

"Is it good?" asked Alice as she studied the book's cover.

Sasha nodded a conformation as she said, "One of my favorites."

Then everyone froze, most literally, as Nessie trotted up to Sasha. She put her arms out in a clear wish to be held. Sasha obliged by propping Nessie on one hip. It was clear from the ease of which she did this that she had a great deal of practice with children. Nessie looked like a four year old, but in reality she wasn't even a toddler yet. She put one palm on Sasha's cheek and silently said, _I'm Renesmee- Nessie- Cullen. Why are you sad?_

Sasha paused for a millisecond before she said, no surprise in her voice though a little girl had just spoken to her in her head, her smile gone, "I am sad because my little sister is in a new place surrounded by near strangers with no one to comfort her."

Nessie nodded and got down. Sasha leaned into me for another split second and then gathered her courage.

"I'm sorry that Renesmee asked you that. She had no right." Edward said in his soft voice.

_Don't be. Children have the clearest eyes of all._

"How do you do that?" Edward asked.

"Practice," Sasha smiled wickedly as the others looked between the three of us, wondering what had transpired. Sasha gave me a look that clearly said, _you can explain. _I shook my head and Sasha said, "Edward, and Thom, can only hear the thoughts that I want them to. I built a... fortress around my thoughts. So I can have privacy."

Emmett chuckled and Jake said, "That's got to be useful."

Sasha glanced at me and I said, "This is Jake, a friend of Nessie's." I'd explain it to her later. "You know who everyone else is."

The others came forward. Esme was kind and sweet, Jasper silent, Carlisle friendly and welcoming, and Bella curious. Then Sasha's eyes fell on the piano and she gasped.

She went over to it, letting go of my hand for the first time, and was about to touch it when she asked, "May I?" Her eyes didn't leave the piano.

It was Edward who owned it, so he was the one who replied, "Of course."

Sasha sat down at the bench and played the first few bars of a song. Then she started to sing.

**Edward's Point of View**

Sasha opened her mouth and sang the first line of a song I didn't recognize.

"_Your little hands wrapped around my finger_

_And it's so quiet in the world tonight_

_Your little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming_

_So I tuck you in and turn on your favorite nightlight_

_To you, everything's funny_

_You got nothing to regret_

_I'd give all I have honey_

_If you could stay like that"_

Her voice was so sweet and pure that no other voice, not even a vampire's, could rival it. While she sang her hands flew over the piano. Thomas stared at her, riveted by the music she was making. All too soon the song was over.

Sasha frowned slightly and muttered, "Boy am I rusty."

Esme said, "That was beautiful."

Sasha blushed slightly and Thomas said, "I told you." Sasha looked up at him, love and disbelief in her deep blue eyes. I knew from Thom's thoughts that the disbelief was because she knew that he had lied when he told her that it would be fine. It was only then that I realized just how much she loved Thomas. Her mental defenses were so good that I gained nothing of her thoughts that she didn't want me to. There was a low snarl and Rosalie stomped into the room. She was frustrated with the car she was working on and hadn't even realized that Sasha was here. The instant she saw Sasha her snarl stopped.

"Hello, Rosalie." Sasha's voice was calm and unconcerned by the angry vampire that stood before her.

"Your hair is blue." Rosalie said in astonishment.

"Wow. I never noticed." Sasha said sarcastically. Instantly, Thomas crouched in a defensive stance before her. Sasha put her hand on his shoulder and he half-straightened. Rosalie glared at Sasha and Sasha glared right back, not the least bit tense. After a minute Rosalie spun on one foot and stomped out of the house.

Sasha glanced at the still half-crouched Thomas and rolled her eyes, "Jeez Thom."

Her courage impressed me, and everyone in the room. Didn't she fear anything? Rosalie hadn't liked Bella either, but Bella had at least been afraid of Rose.

Thom straightened, took Sasha's hand, and led her upstairs to continue the tour.

**Thom's Point of View**

We walked into my room and Sasha looked around.

She inspected my bookshelf then turned to me, eyebrows raised, "Don't you own any current works?"

I shook my head amused at how important this was to her. All the books I owned were books I'd read maybe once, just Old stuff like Moby Dick, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Nothing I'd ever actually liked. I only kept them because they'd been the last thing my parents ever gave me. They gave me those a few days before I was turned. I treasured them because of what they symbolized.

"You actually like these?" Sasha asked, her tone making it clear that she didn't think anyone would be able to stand these, let alone like them.

"No. They were a gift from my parents." I paused for a moment before continuing in a teasing tone, "I thought you loved reading."

Sash grinned at me, "I do; just not _that_ reading."

"Very particular aren't you?" I teased.

"No. I just prefer fantasy and Y.A. Fiction. What about you?"

I shrugged, "Preferably fantasy in French."

Sasha snorted and I could hear her think, _how typical._

"What are your favorite authors and books?" I asked with a smile.

"I have a list, a very long, typed-up-on-my-computer-until-its-three-pages-long, list of favorite books and authors. But my main favorites are Tamora Pierce and J.K. Rowling."

We talked for a little while longer of inconsequential things and were interrupted by Alice and Jasper.

"Thom!" Alice called in her sing-song voice. I rolled my eyes.

She entered the room with a big smile and I told Sasha, "Did you know that out of everyone in the family the most annoying is also the smallest?"

Sasha laughed and covered her mouth with her hands. Trying to be slightly polite, I guess.

"He's absolutely hilarious isn't he?" Alice told Sasha.

Sasha nodded, over her laughter now. "I told him as much. He didn't listen to me."

"Actually," I interrupted, "You said 'hilarious' in a very dry tone and I told you that it was."

"Humph," Sasha said with a slight smile.

"It's the truth." I said softly.

"Right, of course it is." Sasha muttered under her breath. Then she looked at Jasper, "Could you?"

Jasper looked back, utterly and completely confused, "Could I what?"

"Could you fiddle with my emotions?" Sasha asked as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

Sasha wanted Jasper to change her emotions? I hated it when he did that, most of the time.

Sasha looked at me, "It's not a big deal."

_Thom, should I? _Jasper asked. I nodded agreement. Jasper reached out to her with his gift. He could feel a hint of the deeply buried sadness, a lot of love, and a great deal of happiness. Sasha watched him wide eyed as her calm became excitement then exhaustion.

"Wow." she breathed. Then her watch started to go off. It was evening and Sasha was probably hungry. I was about to get up and go downstairs with her when Edward warned, _don't come down here. Rose isn't happy. _In his mind I saw an image of Rosalie fuming, looking as angry as I'd ever seen her.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked Sasha who nodded and said a polite goodbye to both Alice and Jasper. "Get on my back." I smiled at the bewildered look on her face. "I'm going to show you a vampire-only exit."

"Cool." Sasha said and clambered up as easily as a monkey. I opened the window and jumped. I positioned myself so that the landing was gentle and wouldn't hurt Sasha.

"That was awesome! I want to do that again!" Sasha told me.

I chuckled, not only at Sasha but at Bella as well. Bella had pushed away her mental shield and was now thinking, _she likes that? All that kind of stuff made me sick when I was human. _

"Another day," I told Sasha as I knelt to make it easier for her to dismount. She slid off my back, but kept a firm grip upon my hand. We walked back to my car, the gazes of my vampire family following us. I drove her to her house. It struck me as we walked in, how empty the place looked without Sass's toys and belongings. It seemed deserted without a little bouncing girl to greet us at the door. I noticed Sasha's strained face as she looked at the chair in which Sass usually sat. I knew that if I went home now, as soon as I was gone Sasha would go to bed and most likely cry. I couldn't let her do that so I stayed. I watched as she fried a veggie burger for herself.

"Do you want one?" asked the mischievously smiling Sasha.

"No thanks." I said as she laughed at my disgusted expression. I was revolted by the smell of the human food, but I still wished I could eat it. I wished I was human, as I almost always did.

"Can you eat it, if forced to?" Sasha looked at me curiously, always wanting to know more about my world.

"Sure. Then I have to choke it up later."

"Gross." Sasha remarked as she hungrily devoured the food on her plate. I sat down next to her and watched as she did homework for the next hour or so. I didn't mind having nothing to do. Watching her was fascinating and not at all boring, but I pretended to read a little of a book that sat on the table so I wouldn't make her uncomfortable. It was something about a world of mythical creatures and their struggle to survive... I didn't really pay any attention to it. Sasha finished writing something down, closed her textbook, and stood up. She gestured for me to follow then walked up the stairs. Sasha led me to her room. It was medium sized and plain. There were piles of books everywhere. Several teetering stacks of notebooks had been shoved aside to make room for the door to open. Her bed was stuffed into a corner as if sleeping didn't really matter. I walked over to a pile of notebooks and started to pick one up.

"Stay right there." Sasha said as she gathered a small heap of clothes into her arms and left the room. I froze in place and listened. I heard Sasha turn the shower on, heard a small yelp when, I'm guessing, she touched the cold water. After another minute or so the shower turned off and I raised my eyebrows. That was an extremely short shower. Then came the sound of her brushing her teeth. A minute or so later Sasha walked back into her room. She wore a navy blue short sleeve shirt and long, fleecy pajama pants. Her wet hair was brushed and pushed away from her face, which was scrubbed clean. When she saw me in the exact position I'd been in when she left I expected her to roll her eyes but she didn't. Instead she walked closer to me. I started to let me hand fall back to my side, but she said, "I didn't say you could move."

I froze again as she got even closer. She studied my face and then traced my nose and cheekbones with the tips of her fingers. Then I leaned towards her and kissed her. I was very, very careful not to open my lips or use too much force. This was when I wished with all my might that I was human. After a few seconds of the closest thing to heaven that I'll ever get I stepped back and smiled at Sasha. She looked reproachfully back at me, obviously not appreciating the space between us that was the product of my carefulness. After another minute or so Sasha turned to her bed. She opened her closet and got out armful after armful of blankets. She lay down on the bed and piled them around and on top of her.

I snickered slightly and said, "You do know that it's early fall, right?"

Sasha rolled her eyes and looked very pointedly at my frigid skin. Then she beckoned me over with her hand. Obediently, I went over to her side. She patted the spot next to hers on the bed. I tenderly sat on the spot she had indicated. Sasha's dark blue eyes clearly told me two things. One, that wasn't what she wanted, and two, she was exasperated with me. Sighing, she wasn't making this easier, I lay down next to Sasha and she lay her head on my chest. I thought a pillow would be more comfortable, but apparently not to her.

I could feel her frown and asked, "What's wrong?" I ran my hands gently through her wet hair, trying to soothe her, not wanting her to be anything but happy.

Sasha was silent for so long I thought she had decided not to answer me, "I want to be a vampire."

"No." She wasn't going to become a monster. Not on my watch.

"I don't want to be a vampire because I think it'd be cool to be a monster." she told me, stubbornly.

"Why then?"

"Because then you wouldn't have to be so darn careful. I'm too fragile. Eventually something will happen to me." Sasha said exasperated.

"You aren't going to be a vampire."

"Why not?"

"Sasha," I said desperately, "I was made a vampire by a mistake on the part of the one who created me. I woke up from three days of horrible pain and found my way home, terrified. My parents welcomed me and were glad to see me for all of five seconds. I thought I was going crazy when I thirsted for my parents' blood. I knew I was going crazy when my parents tried, and failed, to kill me and were sent to jail. I loved my parents more than anything and they felt the same way about me. But when I got turned into a monster I lost everything."

"I'm sorry." Sasha said, "But you have a family now."

"Not like I did before. And now I have you. I'm not letting you do that to yourself."

"Thom. I know what I want."

"So you're just going to leave Sassafras."

"No. I don't know."

We were silent for a long while then Sasha said, "I'll figure it out someday. Somehow."

I smiled into her hair. She wasn't going to give up. That made me feel good even as it annoyed me. "I love you, Sasha."

"I love you, Thom." Sasha closed her eyes and fell asleep.

**A/N: So what do you think? Do you want to hear Sasha's point of view or not? Other than that I don't have any plans for Thom and Sasha. Thanks for reading! **


	8. Part II Prologue

**Thom's Chance II Prologue**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer.**

**A/N: This is part two, kind of like a sequel, but I didn't want to make a new story of it...**

Sasha grinned happily as she told us about the time that Sass had decided she would eat nothing but flowers because of a book she had listened to.

Edward, Bella, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Sasha, and I were walking down the street. It was gloomy for the first time in a week, the sun hidden behind clouds, and Alice had decided that she needed to take everyone shopping. Including me and Sasha. Even though I warned her, Sasha agreed that she would come, meaning that Rosalie was staying home. Two months had passed since their first meeting and Sasha and Rosalie still... disliked each other.

Sasha had her hand in mine, making it a lot easier for me to actually concentrate on my family. The street we were walking down was the center of the city, a couple hour's drive from our home, and there were a lot of people out and about on this particular Saturday. All this meant that I would've been overwhelmed if Sasha hadn't been distracting me.

Alice froze in the middle of telling us which store we needed to visit next. Her eyes glazed over and the future scene that she was seeing played through my head. A small group of Volturi guards stood silently in front of us. They were talking pleasantly to us until the wind shifted. One of them caught Sasha's scent and the vision ended. Alice couldn't see anything past that.  
"Alice, what's wrong?" Jasper murmured to her.

My eyes met Edward's. There were too many spectators and not enough time. We wouldn't be able to turn and get Sasha out of here.

"A turning point." Alice muttered, "I can't see past."

I knew what she meant. Our future depended entirely on what happened when the vampire caught Sasha's bittersweet scent. I was a Cullen and I had broken the law by telling Sasha what we were.

And then I could hear the thoughts of the group of Volturi guards. Actually Edward could hear them and I could hear Edward's thoughts.

There were five of them. The first was Felix, a big brawny vampire almost as big as Emmett, second was Demetri, the tracker, but I was most concerned about the third and fourth vampires.

The twins, Alec and Jane.

**A/N: What do you think?**


	9. La Tua Cantante

**Thom's Chance II Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer.**

But I was most concerned about the last pair. The twins, Alec and Jane.

The four of them were swiftly approaching us and we would be face to face in less than a minute. I instinctively put my arm around Sasha, holding her close. The rest of my family formed a huddle around us.

"So nice to run into friends," Jane's voice interrupted and we all turned.

"New member?" he said in his smooth voice.

"This is Thomas. He joined us almost a year ago," Edward said.

"And the human?" Alec's red eyes blazed as he looked Sasha up and down, the look a hunter gives to potential prey.

"A friend," Edward said through gritted teeth. Alec raised his eyebrows, wondering if Sasha knew. Edward nodded his head the tiniest bit.

Jane turned to look at Sasha. At the same moment the breeze shifted and Sasha's bittersweet scent was thrown into Jane's nose. Jane stiffened and I leaped in front of Sasha.

Sasha's blood sang to Jane, the temptation was stronger even than Bella's had been to Edward. And Edward had had many years of resisting human blood under his belt. Jane did not deny herself that "treat". But Jane couldn't have Sasha, not my Sasha.

Jane's bright red eyes were full of thirst and the wildness that we gave into when we hunted. She started assessing the best way to get to the blood.

Only Edward and Jasper were aware of what had just happened. Alec had only noticed that his sister was acting oddly.

"Sister dear," he said.

"She's not your next meal," I snarled at Jane, who's head was full of thoughts of drinking Sasha's blood.

"Meal?" Felix asked, "We just ate, Jane!"

"Sasha's blood... calls... to Jane," I muttered as an explanation to my much confused family.

Immediately, Alec's hands were on his sister's shoulders, restraining her. He was thinking of the orders they had been given. Not to drink any human blood, besides what they had recently consumed, and to leave alone any vampires they came upon that were not the clan they were punishing.

Sasha seemed to understand the gravity of the situation because she didn't say anything. But when I caught a glimpse of her face in Emmett's mind, she looked as if this were just another day in a hum-drum life. Sasha really was amazing. And dead, if Jane got to her.

Bella had already put her shield around us and Jasper was using his powers to calm everyone down. Emmett seemed to be warming up for a battle.

Alice interrupted the staring contest, "Too many people watching."

Alec nodded agreement. The order more important than any other that had ever been given him, was to keep the secret existence of vampires a secret.

After a few more silent minutes, Alec decided what was to be done. Because we outnumbered them, and we had Bella, and because there were too many pedestrians, they would leave. Go back to their masters, as they had been ordered to.

But Alice wasn't sure that they were going all the way back to Volterra. It didn't matter. Jane wanted Sasha's blood. And Edward was almost a hundred percent sure that Aro would find this news interesting. A reason to hurt the Cullens.

I had to protect Sasha and I had to protect my family.

"Good day," Alec said coolly, sending his sister a look that said that she was to obey him. Then Alec turned and walked away, Demetri and Felix towing Jane.

"Thom," Sasha's voice was both a warning and a question.

I turned to her.

_What just happened? Who're they? And why do you look like you are in your worst nightmare?_

I looked at Sasha's sturdy body, strong by human standards, but weak by ours. She was no match for the supernatural. Even if she wasn't at all afraid of the thirst she had noticed.

I wished with all of my dead heart that I was dreaming. But, because I wasn't human, I couldn't sleep. It all boiled down to me not being human. To me being a monster.

"In a minute," I said, knowing that my voice was terse and emotionless.

Emmett and Jasper had already gone to get the cars. Alice would've been more upset that her shopping trip was being canceled half-way through, but she was wrapped up in the future. Bella looked at me, and I could hear her thoughts.

_Shouldn't you be calming her down, not scaring her more? _Bella asked.

I shook my head. Bella always underestimated Sasha. I guess it was because they had been in such similar situations and reacted so differently.

I knew Sasha well enough to know that she wasn't scared. My tone hadn't frightened her, just made her wonder what on earth was going on. I could practically hear her brain whirring with all the possibilities.

I started to tell Bella that Sasha was fine, but the words stuck in my throat. How much longer would Sasha be fine?

Alice's visions were coming and going so quickly that I couldn't keep up. I got into one of the cars with Emmett, Jasper, and Alice. All of us had worried expressions, even Emmett, who could make a joke out of pretty much anything. Even Alice, who saw the bright side of every situation, as annoying as that was, didn't have anything positive to say.

"Thomas," Sasha's voice was controlled, but I could hear the frustration peeping through. Jasper felt her immense confusion and I knew that it was time to start talking.

"Those four were Volturi guards," Thank goodness I'd explained the Volturi before, "The twins were Alec and Jane, the others Felix and Demetri. They came here on business. Our meeting was completely accidental. Everything was fine... until Jane caught your scent," I stopped, unable to continue.

Sasha's eyes widened, "La tua cantante?"

She remembered what I'd told her about Edward and Bella. She even remembered what the Volturi called it!

Emmett's chuckle was deep and quiet.

"It's as strong as it was for Edward and Edward was determined to keep Bella alive. Jane has no such wish."

"I thought my blood smelled bittersweet," Sasha murmured with the look of intense concentration on her face.

"Jane loves even the scent," I stroked her arm, wondering when she would get scared.

"So then why did they leave?"

"Orders," I said simply.

"But she'll come back. She won't be able to stay away," It wasn't a question on Sasha's part. But it was on mine.

"That's the only thing I know for sure," Alice said.

The visions were still hazy and jumbled together. Alice could barely tell what was going on in them, much less figure out which were most likely.

"Prathmun bless," Sasha muttered. It was probably a curse from a book she was reading, "Phone."

She held her hand out to me, beckoning. I glanced at Jasper, completely and totally bewildered. Jasper could feel massive waves of terror and panic rolling off Sasha.

It was as if that one small fact had changed everything for Sasha. And how would having my phone help? As usual, I had no idea.

I handed her my phone and she dialed a number she seemed to know by heart. A male voice that I'd never heard before answered her.

"Hello?"

"Hey. It's Sasha."

"You want to talk to Sass?"

"No, thanks. I'm actually in a hurry. See, I was just told that my Spanish class is going on a trip to Mexico. So, I won't be able to be home for Thanksgiving vacation. I'll see you all another time." There was a pause while the voice on the other end asked some questions. "Yes, I used one of the slips that Dad gave me." Sasha's voice was polite and emotionless. "I'll be sure to have fun. Oh, I gotta go. Tell Sass that I'll see her as soon as possible. Love you all."

Sasha snapped the phone shut, handed it to me, and rubbed her face with her hand. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Aunt, Uncle, and Sass were supposed to be coming for Thanksgiving break next week. I can't have her near all this. I just can't."

Oh. Now the panic and fear made sense. Sasha didn't fear for herself. Ever. But anything happened to her little sister and she turned into a wreck. Sass smelled remarkably like her older sister and being anywhere near Sasha would put Sass in immediate and immense danger.

Emmett turned the car into the driveway and we were at the house within seconds. Sasha got out, calm now that her sister was out of danger. We walked up the steps to the porch and in to see Carlisle and Esme.

"Carlisle, Esme." I called out in a voice that was no louder than one I would've used to talk to Sasha.

They rushed down the stairs and to us. It was obvious that something was wrong. One, we weren't loaded down with clothing, two we were supposed to return around six or seven that night and it was only one o'clock, and three, we were all grim.

When Emmett found Rosalie and brought her back- with more than a little coaxing on his part- the story began. I told it, because Edward didn't know Sasha as well as I did, and because I couldn't bear to hear it. I could barely bear to tell it.

I explained how Jane had caught Sasha's scent. How potent it was to her. I explained that no matter what happened and what orders Jane was given, she would never, ever stop hunting Sasha. Jane had even considered what she would do if we turned Sasha into a vampire. That part hurt more than the rest to tell.

"If we turn Sasha into a vampire... Jane'll get revenge. She knows that we are aware just how much Sasha's blood appeals to her. Jane wants it and she isn't usually denied what she wants that much. Jane decided that, if she was unable to drink Sasha's blood, she would do her best to hurt Sasha. In any and every way that she could."

Sasha's face turned so white that she couldn't have been paler if she was a vampire. I knew what she was thinking. So many trails- in both the figurative and literal sense- led from her straight to Sass. I put my hand on her arm.

_Oh no, _was all that she allowed me to hear. I looked to Carlisle, hoping that he would have even the slightest idea as to what we should do. What I should do.

Carlisle began to speak, his words and tone were so quick and low that Sasha could barely hear them.

"Hold on," she interrupted. "Since this concerns me, would you mind speaking so I can hear _and _understand you?"

"Of course," Carlisle realized his mistake, "As I was saying, no matter what some of us may think," he didn't look at Rosalie but I did, "we are going to stick with Sasha until this is sorted out."

Rosalie harrumphed, "Just turn her into a vampire." She muttered, unhappy with the way things were going.

"Didn't you hear Thom?" Alice asked.

At the same time, I said, "No!"

"Protect her." Bella suggested.

"We can't protect her and everyone she cares about for very long, if at all." Jasper said, confident.

"Fight." Emmett said in his usual style.

Rosalie snarled at that suggestion.

"We should try talking." Carlisle said in a firm voice.

"It wouldn't work, Carlisle. Words won't mean anything to Jane. She wants Sash's blood too much." I said with a glance at Sasha.

We continued to argue. After about twenty minutes Sasha interrupted.

"Haven't you all realized?" She asked, ignoring the glare from Rosalie this earned her.

We stared at her and she sighed.

"It's complicated, but... Jasper's right. Protecting me and everyone that Jane could use to hurt me would never work. Turning me into a vampire would be useless, Jane would want revenge. Fighting, just in general, is pointless because Jane has more resources. But don't you see the key in all these failed solutions?"

No. No, we didn't see the key. Only Sasha understood whatever it was that she was talking about.

"The key is..." She hesitated looking like the idea wasn't fully formed yet, and continued in a whisper. "Jane."

I started. Of course. The reason none of our ideas would work was because of Jane.

"What do we do, get rid of her?" Rosalie asked in a voice filled with sarcasm and disbelief. "That would send the entire guard out to get us."

"No. You can't do anything," Sasha agreed. Rosalie growled. Sasha's lips twitched up and she tried valiantly to keep the smile off her face, "None of you can. Like I said, the key is Jane. Jane, Jane, Jane. Every way you look, she's the one who's going to end this. Not you. Her."

That wouldn't work. Thank goodness no one else wanted to try it. And none of us wanted to tell Sasha that if she just handed herself over to Jane, Jane wouldn't hesitate to kill her and drink her blood.

We were going to do this our way. The first thing to do was protect Sasha. Then protect Sass. Sasha resisted. She protested that this wasn't going to work. We were doomed to failure. I didn't listen. None of us listened.

We started making arrangements to protect Sasha. Sasha glared at everyone and refused to participate further. She was so angry that she wouldn't look at any of us. She was so angry she couldn't even concentrate on her book. Even if Sasha did survive this, she would never forgive me.

"Take Sasha home," Carlisle told me, "Give Alice time to sort out what she sees. Stay with Sasha. We'll send someone over or call. It'll be best if she isn't left alone. Aro will know that we'll defend her with all we have. He'll want to be sneaky. Send Jane to dispatch Sasha and you. You broke the law and Sasha knows too much. We'll work something out."

"It'll be fine." Esme said in her light, motherly voice.

But she didn't sound convinced and I knew that no one, not even I, could convince Sasha that anything would be fine. The first week that we had known each other was nothing in comparison. Nothing.

Sasha nodded stiffly and stomped to the door. She was still furious.

She stopped, her form rigid, when Rosalie muttered, "Risking everything for another _human._ Didn't we just get over all the stupid drama of the Volturi?"

Sasha turned, "I'm sorry for putting you in danger, Rosalie. Please don't feel obliged to defend me in anyway." Sasha paused then added, "Perhaps it would be better for everyone if you didn't. Your happiness, after all, is much higher on the list than me. Of course I understand. Whoever's coming with me better come now. I'm leaving."

With that, Sasha marched out the door, for all the world as if she hadn't just seriously insulted a vampire. A vampire who already hated her. Jasper looked at me and thought, _I'll come with you, too. I can help with my power and my past._

Jasper was a war veteran. I nodded my head.

When we were more than halfway to her house- far enough so no one at my house could hear- I asked her what she was thinking about. Her eyebrow were furrowed in the way that meant she was brainstorming. She was still mad at me and my family, but she had forgotten it in her storm of thinking.

"My future." She paused, "A way to save you and Sass. A way out of this mess."

"What if there isn't one?" The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them.

I had just voiced one of my biggest fears. As far as I could see, either Jane sucked all the blood out of her, killing her, or I made her into a vampire and doomed her to eternal torture. Literally and figuratively.

"I'm still thinking," Sasha murmured.

"Thinking about what?" I said tersely, "The best way to say goodbye?"

Sasha turned to me. She stroked the back of my hand. I felt horrible. Here she was, in mortal peril, and she was comforting me.

But her thinking moment was over and she was angry again. Still angry at me for not listening to her. Sasha could be amazingly stubborn. I'd found that out for myself. Sasha was especially stubborn if she was sure that she wanted something. Like becoming a vampire.

She pulled away from me with a glare, "And you are all fools."

She turned to the window and ignored both Jasper and me.

**A/N: Review and tell me what you think is going to happen! Sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Life and preparing for a new school are making me crazy. **


	10. She's Angry

**Thom's Chance II Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer.**

Sasha opened the passenger door and got out. She grabbed her book and slammed the door behind her. Jasper and I got out of my car.

"She's furious," He whispered, perplexed, "Because we didn't listen to her idea of trusting Jane?"

"I don't know. The whole Jane-is-the-key thing is completely right, but trusting Jane..." I said as we walked into the house.

Sasha had turned on the stove and was cooking up a storm, anger written on her every feature. She whirled around the kitchen, making this and that and the other thing. When a batch of brownies came out of the oven, Jasper wrinkled his nose. He thought they smelled revolting.

"Envelope, envelope, envelope," Sasha muttered to herself as she packaged the brownies up and addressed them to Sass. She included a note of apology and sent her brownies off before they even got cold.

We, Jasper and I, watched in complete silence as Sasha made dish after dish of food while she listened to an audiobook. Sasha didn't eat anything. She acted like Jasper and I didn't exist. It still comforted me when she laughed at what the characters in the audiobook said. It hurt too.

That was Sasha through and through. Making me happy and sad. Being angry and happy at the same time. Never fearing for herself and always fearing for Sass. Cooking and cooking and not eating.

"Aren't you going to eat something?" I asked when she started to clean the kitchen with the same manic energy.

"What is it to you?" She snapped, "You are the one who always puts off eating until the last second."

That was a low blow. It was true that I never hunted except when absolutely necessary, but that was because I detested drinking blood. In essence, I detested being a vampire. My expression must have reflected the hurt I felt at that, because she softened almost immediately.

"Sorry," Sasha didn't glare at me as she went back to her cleaning.

Within the next two hours she cleaned every part of the house, tidied every extra piece of junk, and dusted in every tiny nook and cranny. By the time twilight had arrived, the entire house was so clean I barely recognized it.

Sasha didn't stop for dinner as she moved from cleaning to her computer. She turned it on and checked her email. Jasper and I watched as she read one of the emails and grinned then laughed. She quickly typed back, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

When she was done with her computer she turned on her music player and started to play a song by Taylor Swift, her favorite singer. But she frowned and turned it off.

I gleaned nothing from her mind and Jasper could feel a confusing array of emotions coming from her, emotions so tangled no one could possibly make sense of them. Sasha started humming to herself and then closed her eyes, just standing in the middle of her room, completely still, a slight frown crinkling her eyebrows.

Sasha crossed her arms over her chest and opened her eyes, surveying her room. It was as messy as always, her cleaning attack had left only this room untouched. Sasha got to work, picking up piles of books and notebooks before sorting and boxing them.

With a glance at the clock, Sasha turned on her music and turned it up loud enough so that it could be heard anywhere in the house. Jasper and I flinched at the same time.

Sasha grabbed some of her clothes and marched into the bathroom. We knew better than to follow her. I froze in place, using my ears and my ability to hear thoughts to listen for Jane. Sasha was vulnerable, alone in that room. The fact that Jane was supposedly heading back to Volterra did nothing to ease my fears.

"Thom," Jasper said through gritted teeth and I realized that he was feeling every tiny bit of my fear, anxiety, and lack of hope.

"Sorry," I said and I knew that he could feel my apology as well as hear it.

Jasper and I stood outside the bathroom door and listened as Sasha got in the shower. I could hear her grinding her teeth together and I almost laughed.

The shower was on for scarcely two minutes. Sasha hated taking showers. She said the water pounding down on her felt uncomfortable. When she had first said that, I had pointed out that she didn't mind the rain. Sasha said that was different because the rain felt natural. At that point in the conversation I had smiled and chuckled. Sasha had rolled her eyes and continued reading her book.

I was brought abruptly back to earth by Sasha marching out of the bathroom. She was fuming about something, but it didn't seem like it was about me.

It took me about two seconds to realize what was wrong. Sasha's hair was knotted and tangled beyond belief and was sticking in every direction. Jasper and I locked eyes and he smiled slightly. I started to laugh, very quietly.

"Thanks, Thom," Sasha called from her room. She walked back into the bathroom, grabbed some hair conditioner and pulled me into her room. Well, she wasn't really pulling me.

Jasper followed, his lips still quirked upwards. Sasha handed me the bottle of conditioner and a hairbrush and smiled slightly at us.

"I swear the shower has it in for me," Sasha said as she tried to separate her hair into two sections. It didn't get anywhere near working.

"Is this another part of why you hate taking showers?" I asked, my voice amused.

"Yes. I was in there for too long."

"You call three minutes long?" Jasper asked in disbelief.

Sasha nodded as she tugged on her hair.

"Sasha usually stays in the shower for less than a minute," I chuckled, surprised that I was able to smile.

"Just enough time to get clean. My hair wasn't the least bit tangled when I got into that infernal thing!" Sasha cried out in pain as she tugged on an especially matted section of hair.

"Sash. How did you manage this?" I asked as I tried to pull my fingers gently through her hair. My fingers couldn't move anywhere.

"I don't know," Sasha said in exasperation.

She put a big glob of conditioner on her palm and then started working it into a part of her hair that she was holding in front of her face.

_Amazing. She's furious at you. But she isn't. How does that work?_ Jasper wanted to know.

He could feel the anger that Sasha still felt, but he could also feel something that he couldn't quite put a name too.

"Just cut it all off," Jasper murmured.

"That's not necessary," Alice said as she walked into the room with a smile, "Hello, Sasha."

Sasha looked resigned, "Hi, Alice."

Just then the phone rang. I picked it up and answered, "Hello?"

"Hi!" A voice said. I'd never heard the voice before but it was definitely female. "Is Sasha there?"

"Here she is," I handed the phone to Sasha with a quizzical look.

Sasha glanced at the caller I.D. then gasped. She brought the phone to her ear quickly, "Finn?"

"It's Alai. Sasha, what was that email about? Finn thinks..." The voice sounded breezy and cheery. Who was it?

"Oh nothing. Finn thinks too much," Sasha said with a strained smile.

"I _can _hear both of you, you know," A male voice interrupted, sounding mock offended.

"Hello, Finn. I should've guessed that you would call," Sasha said, her small smile wry instead of strained now, "You always do know things you shouldn't."

"You offend me, Sasha."

"Hush up, Finn! I'm trying to talk to Sasha," The female voice said, still sounding cheery.

"Alai, I can talk to Sasha as well."

"Finn! I'll get you for this. Later," The voice said then added, this time to Sasha, "I want to talk to you, in person, when Finn isn't around to bug us."

"You don't look bugged to me," Finn's voice said.

"Soon, Alai. Finn, please keep your all knowing assumptions to yourself. I... dislike it when you make Alai think that the world is going to end tomorrow. Because it always ends up being about me."

"Because you are so delicate."

Sasha snorted, "You need to get your eyesight checked."

_Thom, they're just old friends of mine. No need to get all riled up. _Sasha thought, noticing my stiff posture and frozen limbs.

"Bye, Sasha! Bye, Finn!"Alai said.

"I'm right next to you," Finn pointed out, his voice laughing, "Bye, Sasha."

"Bye, Alai. Good luck with the all-knowing thing, Finn," Sasha said with a laugh as she hung up.

Alice smiled slightly and started to untangle Sasha's hair, "I came to tell you all that Jane is going to leave her brother and call her masters. She'll do it in about ten minutes. I also thought that I might be of help. Your hair truly is a mess."

Sasha said, "It's never gotten quite this bad before."

Twenty minutes later, Alice had worked a miracle and Sasha's hair was all untangled again.

Jasper and Alice left the room to discuss another vision that Alice had seen. The vision was spotty, but it was Jane's tentative plan.

Sasha picked up her writing notebook and started to scribble something down. I walked over to her and watched her work, not reading what she was writing.

Sasha looked up at me and smiled slightly. The smile would've made my heart skip, if I'd had a living heart. She raised one of her hands to my cheek and I wished more than ever before that I was human. Because, if I was human, Sasha would never be in danger from Jane. I closed my eyes. If I had been able to cry, my cheeks would've been covered in tears.

"Thom, I'm sorry," Sasha whispered as she brushed my eyelids with one finger.

"Sorry?" I croaked, feeling horrible, "I put you and Sass in horrible danger and you're apologizing to me?"

"I'm not apologizing for that. I'm apologizing for making you regret who you are more than ever. It's not your fault. I could just as easily have run into Jane without ever meeting you. I don't want you to ever regret meeting me. I'm not apologizing for being mad at you, though."

"Of course you aren't."

Sasha smiled slightly and set her pen down. She looked absolutely exhausted. Her eyes fluttered open and closed. I gently picked up her pen and notebook and set them down on her dresser.

Sasha watched through half-closed eyes. I walked over to her and, moving slowly so I wouldn't startle her, I picked her up and tucked her into her bed. As I started to move away she glared at me and grabbed my arm. I recognized the stubborn set of her mouth and moved to lay next to her. Despite being mad at me, Sasha was the same as ever.

"Where are Jasper and Alice?" Sasha asked, her eyes closed.

"Downstairs. Arguing," I said, able to hear them with my ears even though they were out of thought range.

Sasha frowned before turning into me and going to sleep. Her dreams weren't peaceful.

Her breathing was labored, her eyes darted back and forth underneath her eyelids, and her hands were clenched into fists. At one point I even caught a snatch of her dream. I couldn't see what she saw, though, because looking through her eyes was, for me, like looking through glasses made of mud. The only part I caught of that second of mental weakness was a voice.

"If you are ever in need, we'll help."

What did that mean? And what was Sasha hiding from me?

Other than that one, very brief lapse, Sasha's fortifications remained as invulnerable as ever. My thoughts whirred, chasing each other in circles as Sasha slept.

I was greatly relieved when she woke. But my relief disappeared when Sasha took one look around the room- Alice and Jasper were sitting in the corner, whispering- and hurried to the bathroom. Sasha never hurried to the bathroom. She detested the shower and she didn't put on make-up so what was she doing?

I got to my feet and looked at Jasper and Alice. Alice's thoughts were confused, something in the future had shifted slightly, but she couldn't tell what.

Jasper was trying to work through the strange array of emotions that Sasha was emitting. First an overwhelming confusion and worry, then guilt and anger. Last was a grim, stubborn, certainty.

"Alice?" Sasha asked as she came back into the room. Her face was worried and she didn't look at me or Jasper, "Can you help me with a, um, problem?"

Alice glanced at me, wondering what was going on, before nodding and concentrating on the present. The future was assailing her with pictures, but Sasha looked desperate.

I didn't try to help. If Sasha was asking Alice instead of me, there had to be a reason. Sasha brought Alice downstairs and I heard the sounds of rustling paper and someone writing something. The scribbling noises stopped and then started again. Stopped. Started again.

Then Alice said, in a normal voice, "Thom! Jasper! I'm going home to get something for Sasha. You can come out of her room. Nothing will happen while I'm gone."

And Alice skipped lightly into the forest. Jasper and I exchanged bewildered looks. What was going on? Why was Sasha, and now Alice, acting so strangely?

I moved quickly and silently down the stairs to the kitchen, where Sasha was eating breakfast.

A car pulled into the driveway and the three of us went outside. It was Bella, with a bag in her hand.

"Alice said that Sasha needed this." Bella said, handing Sasha the large, closed bag.

Sasha nodded, "Thanks."

The phone rang from inside and Sasha turned around with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. She answered it, "Hello?"

"Sasha! You need to get away from there!" Alice shrieked, her voice distressed.

"What?" Sasha asked, alarmed.

Then I heard it. The sound of vampire feet moving fast. The breeze wafted a smell into my nose. The scent of a vampire. The scent of a vampire I never wanted to think of again.

Jane was close. And then I was on the ground. I couldn't think because pain was emanating from every muscle, every pore, every part of me. Fire burning me. Fire the likes of which I had only felt one time before that. Fire.

Fire. Fire. I was on fire. The scary and handsome man with hunger in his eyes had come too close to me. He had set me on fire. How had he done that? Maybe if he soaked me with gasoline. But I'd have died.

The pain wouldn't last this long if he'd actually set me on fire. Something strange was going on. I was thinking about that when I realized that, not only could I think again, the pain had vanished. Mostly vanished.

It lingered in my throat, flaring as I caught scents. Strange scents. Things I'd never been able to smell before.

My eyes slid open and the alley around me was revealed. It was nighttime, but it wasn't dark out. My eyes saw every detail the shabby walls and decrepit concrete had to offer. My ears caught the slightest sound. My nose told me that the scent of danger lingered on the back of my neck.

I felt wonderful. I felt powerful. I was thirsty. I got to my feet in a move that was disconcerting with its speed and grace.

Something was wrong. I was scared. What had happened? Where was I?

I took a step forward and then another. I ran toward the street. I was running too fast. I was moving too quickly.

I recognized the street. But it looked strange. Different. I knew how to get home. I ran home, a terrified blur. But I could see every passing detail without the slightest effort.

I went into my house, slowing down so I wouldn't scare my parents.

They were happy to see me. They ran to me smiling and laughing. But I was no longer happy to see them. I could hear them, inside my head.

And I was felt like they were meals, waiting for me to partake of their luscious blood to soothe the burning in my throat.

I listened to my parents voices inside my mind as their joy at seeing their beloved son turned into disbelief and hatred. Then I heard their voices, both inside my head and outside of it, claim that I was an abomination and I had to be killed.

My dad tried to take off my head with a baseball bat. My mom tried to cut off my arm with a knife. My dad got out his gun and shot at me.

No harm done to me. Someone called the police. I slumped to the ground. I heard human voices. My body went into auto-pilot.

I ran, hiding myself, refusing to go near the humans who tempted me with their blood. When my mind started working again, I realized what I was. A vampire.

But that was irrelevant. The only thing that was important was that my beloved parents had tried to kill me. Called me an abomination. Maybe they'd been right.

And then I almost killed a human because I wanted her blood. That made my decision for me. I needed to kill myself.

I tried. It didn't work. I tried again. No natural creature could harm me. So I hunted. But I didn't hunt for blood. I hunted for a supernatural creature.

And I found one. A tiny, pixy of a girl. Her thoughts were filled with the future. She said her name was Alice. She told me that she'd been looking for me.

There was someone who could help me. Her family. A family of vampires.

I followed her, intent on angering one of them and getting myself killed. I was disappointed when I met Carlisle. He was so peaceful. He told me of another way.

I liked it no more than I liked the traditional way. I had no choice. I was too weak. I had to have blood someway or another.

I drank the blood of a rabbit. An innocent, peaceful rabbit. I wanted to die more than ever as the blood passed between my lips. It was warm, liquidy, repulsive.

It gave me enough strength to try once more to finish what my parents had started.

I started a quarrel with the easiest to upset of the family of vampires. Her name was Rosalie. She was blonde and vain.

I only needed a few insults- and her very helpful bad mood- to make her attack me. She had pulled off my arm and was in the process of pulling the rest of me apart when her mate stopped her.

The big, brawny boy who screamed danger. The pixie- who saw the future- put me back together. She scolded me. Made me promise never to do it again. I didn't promise. But she was satisfied.

She knew I would never try it again. I got to know the family.

Peaceful and compassionate Carlisle, the father of the group. His mate, the motherly Esme, who was always worried about me. The annoying pixie with her ability to see the future was Alice. Her war- veteran, emotion sensitive mate, Jasper. Beautiful and vain Rosalie. Big and fun Emmett. Pretty and young (vampire-wise) Bella. Her mate, the mind-reader Edward. Their half-human, half-vampire child, Nessie. The werewolf man who was Bella's friend and Nessie's... protector.

I ran all the time, half-hoping that I would come upon something that would kill me. I endured the crowds of people that stared at my family and me. I distanced myself from everything in my past.

And then Sasha came. Nine months into my new life and I found my mate.

Sasha! She was in danger.

Jane had used her talent against me and I had sunk into memories caused by the fire that she had brought to life in me. I was laying on the ground, Jasper beside me.

Bella was fighting with Jane, who was trying to get past Bella to the house that contained Sasha, and losing. As I watched, still unable to move because of the fire that had raged inside of me, Jane tore off one of Bella's arms.

The faint smell of Sasha's blood intensified, filling the air. Jane was no longer able to focus on Bella. She was in hunting mode now. Her brain was switched off, her senses at their best. But I could still hear her thoughts as she tried to focus. She didn't want to leave her back unprotected as she raced for the blood.

The distraction was our saving. It allowed my family to arrive.

Jane's brain turned back on as the large group of vampires appeared around her, ready to fight. Despite her pain, Bella was protecting us all. If Jane hadn't taken her completely by surprise, Bella would've had her shield around us.

Jane shot a quick look of longing at Sasha and turned. She ran away, knowing that we would see to our wounded instead of following.

Edward was already helping Bella reattach her arm, like Alice had reattached me when I had provoked Rosalie.

I held my breath and leaped to Sasha. Sasha wasn't wounded though. How had the smell of her blood filled the air if she wasn't wounded? Sasha looked up at me, her eyes wide, panicked, and upset.

"Sasha, why aren't you bleeding?" I asked as I pulled her to me, needing her extreme warmth.

"I don't..." She mumbled, "I didn't..."

I could still smell her blood. She was still bleeding so why couldn't I find the cut?

"Oh," Sasha said as she extracted herself from my arms and went inside, "That was fortunate."

I followed her. She reached into the bag that Bella had brought for her and took out... a package of pads.

Oh. It had been pure luck, then. Completely normal. I relaxed slightly, knowing she wasn't injured. But this meant that she was in more danger than ever. For the next several days she would constantly smell of fresh blood.

"Wait one minute, Thom?" She asked as she headed for the bathroom. I nodded.

**A/N: What do you think? Review!**


	11. I Hate Blood

**Thom's Chance II Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. **

Sasha came back from the bathroom, looking upset. She grabbed my hand and went to my car, ignoring the group of vampires on her front lawn. Edward and Nessie were hugging the healed Bella. Everyone else was watching and talking in quiet rapid voices.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rosalie asked as she glared at Sasha.

"The library. Problem?" Sasha asked with a sweet smile and a toss of her blue-black hair.

Sasha got in, slammed the car door shut and waited all of two seconds so I could get in. Once my door was closed, she started the car and backed out of the driveway, muttering curses under her breath.

"Idiot, immortal, creeptacular, vampires. Stupid creatures." She muttered, continuing in that vein until we got to the library. Once inside, Sasha relaxed. She was in her element and she was happy to spend hours browsing the books, reading a chapter here and there, and talking specifics with the librarians. After spending the entire day in the library, Sasha and I went back to her house. Alice was waiting in the kitchen, wondering why she hadn't seen Jane coming and berating herself for slipping up.

"It was a split second decision, Alice. She wasn't hunting in the town because she knew we lived here. She smelled Sasha's scent mixed with mine and followed it here. She made the decision less than two seconds before she arrived here." I assured Alice, who only frowned at me.

"Thom." Sasha said as she took out some of the huge amount of food she'd made the night before.

Alice's phone buzzed and she left the room to give the two of us some amount of privacy. Of course, she could still hear us, but I wouldn't be distracted by her thoughts since she was no longer in the house.

"Yeah?" I asked as I tucked a strand of Sasha's hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes for half a second, looking like she was preparing herself for something unpleasant.

"Thom, you need to hunt." Sasha stroked my eyelids, "Your eyes are black. The smell of constant fresh blood makes you thirsty faster."

I put my arms around her, holding her close to me. "I'm not leaving you alone, Sash."

Sasha laughed slightly, the laugh of someone who found the situation not in the least amusing. "Alone? I haven't been alone since I met Jane. Alice just hunted, I'm sure she can deal with the smell of my blood long enough for you to hunt."

It was true that I needed to hunt. My throat burned every second I was near Sasha, but I wasn't at all tempted to drink her blood. Even the sweetest human blood smelled slightly repulsive to me, the feeling of blood passing between my lips and down my throat was beyond repulsive. It was horrible, no matter whether the blood was human or animal.

"I'm not going anywhere." Sasha promised. I pulled far enough away from her to kiss her nose. She smiled and whispered, "Freeze." It was what she said whenever she wanted to kiss me. It always made me remember the first time she had kissed me with the two of us in her room, me frozen in the position she had told me to stay in.

Sasha's lips lightly touched mine, a caress more than a kiss, and her hand brushed my hair out of my eyes.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Just promise me that you'll drink enough to sate your thirst." Sasha said as she pulled away from me.

"I promise." I said. "I love you."

Sasha smiled in a way that was slightly sad, "I love you too."

I watched her for a short second before leaving the house.

I moved at my highest speed, running far into the forest before searching for animals to eat. I found a small herd of deer and killed three of them. I knew from experience that three was just enough to return me to full strength and satisfy the need for blood that my body felt. Unwillingly, I bent over and plunged my teeth through the fur and skin and into the blood. I drank, the horrible liquid passing between my lips and sating the fire in my throat. When I was done with the first deer, which took a very long time- a half an hour or so- because I hated the blood so much, I had to force myself over to the second and third. Most vampires savored the taste of blood and had trouble restraining themselves. Me? I had trouble convincing myself to drink the stuff. My body longed for it and my throat rejoiced when I drank it, but my mind hated it. Before I had become a vampire, blood hadn't been a big deal. In fact, I'd almost always had one cut somewhere on my legs or arms. When I was done hunting, my body well fed and my mind thoroughly repulsed, about three hours had passed since I'd last seen Sasha and I needed to get back to her. I disposed of the bodies and ran as fast as I'd ever run back to Sasha's house.

When I got there, I could smell that Sasha wasn't there. There were, however, several vampires in her living room. I recognized their scents as those of Jasper, Carlisle, and Esme. What was going on? I walked into the living room, listening intently to their thoughts.

_Oh, dear. How's he going to take this?_ Esme was intensely worried about something.

_Alice. What did Alice do? Why was she feeling guilty? _Jasper was completely focused on Alice, which was odd since Alice was... with Sasha. Oh no.

_Thomas? _Carlisle asked me.

"What's going on? Where's Sasha? Where's Alice?" I asked, slightly frantic.

"They... disappeared." Carlisle said.

**A/N: I know this is short. But this is very hard to write from Thom's point of view. So, if you want to know what happened, I will be updating Sasha's Words with the second part. Soon, I hope. Review! And tell me what you think happened. **


	12. Gone

**Thom's Chance II Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. **

Disappeared? No. No. That couldn't be possible. They couldn't have just disappeared. Alice had promised me that she would protect Sasha. Alice wouldn't let Sasha go anywhere.

Jane had to have taken them. That was the only solution, the only answer, the only possibility. They wouldn't have left under their own steam.

Would she? Sasha had a mind of her own, a mind I didn't always fully understand. And Sasha had been acting oddly. But I'd just thought that she was upset about Jane hunting her.

Sasha. Sasha. Sasha. Sasha.

Already my dead heart ached for her. I couldn't stand still anymore. I needed to find her. I needed her to be safe. Nothing could happen to Sasha.

My mind flickered back to a memory that had taken place a few days before we ran into Jane.

"_Ow!" Sasha said as she pricked her finger by accident. She automatically looked at me, worried about my reaction. _

_I just flitted to the cupboard to find her a band-aid. As I held it out to her, the scent of the fresh blood hit me. But the instant fire in my throat was nothing compared to the revulsion. _

_If my stomach could still flip over and spill it's contents out my mouth it would have. _

"_Doesn't the blood bother you?" Sasha asked with a glint in her eyes that I was becoming all too familiar with. _

_The glint meant that she was looking for ammunition for her get-me-to-agree-that-she-should-be-a-monster argument. _

"_It repulses me," I said, without thinking first. _

_Sasha's face looked contemplative, and a little shocked. I was sure that she was hiding her other emotions from me. _

_Had she translated "it repulses me" into "you repulse me"? I couldn't tell. Not with Sasha. _

"_The idea of drinking blood. It makes me sick, if it's possible for us to get sick," I said, avoiding the proper name for what I am. That made me just as sick as the smell of blood, if not more. _

_In my eagerness to make sure she hadn't gotten the wrong idea, I'd given her exactly what she'd wanted._

"_Doesn't that make it easier not to kill?" Sasha asked, too innocent. _

"_I'm ending this conversation," I said as I put my arms around her and she leaned her head onto my chest. _

"_I'm not letting you," Sasha said, her voice slightly muffled. _

_I tilted her chin up and kissed her, lightly, on the tip of her nose, then on her forehead. _

"_You were saying?" I asked with a smile that I hoped was dazzling. _

_Apparently it wasn't dazzling enough. _

"_I was saying that I'm not finished talking to you about my future."_

_I kissed her again, this time on her lips, holding her close to me until I could feel her shiver slightly. Sasha always wore extra layers and warm fabrics, but my granite skin still chilled her. _

"_I'm going to be a vampire, even if I have to force you to make me one," Sasha said, displaying her stubborn streak once more. _

The memory didn't help. It just made me miss her more.

My entire world revolved around Sasha. She was my world. My world was gone. Disappeared.

I needed to know if Jane had taken her. Jane would've left a trail, her scent, throughout the house. But I smelled no fresh scents except Sasha's.

Even Sasha's scent was old, at least an hour since she had been here. Maybe more. Alice's scent was just as old, and it was mixed with Sasha's, like they had walked together to the middle of the driveway, where the scent ended.

"Alice's Porsche?" I asked, realizing that they must have gotten in a car. Sasha didn't have a car.

"In the garage," Edward replied, "but my Volvo is gone."

Edward's silver Volvo was gone. Edward's inconspicuous Volvo had disappeared along with Sasha and Alice.

"A bunch of money and some of Sasha's clothes are also gone," Edward continued, obviously reading my mind.

Crap.

The pieces all fit together. Sasha wanting to talk to Alice alone, Sasha looking uncomfortable, Alice and Sasha both encouraging me to go hunt.

Sasha had left to carry out the plan that I had refused to listen to.

She might not return.

Her plan could be anything and I wouldn't know. I hadn't even listened to it.

I crumpled to the ground, my eyes shutting as tearless sobs racked my body and low moans escaped my mouth.

Sasha.

**A/N: What a cheerful and romantic chapter. Review!**


	13. Returned

**Thom's Chance II Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: Not S.M. **

**A/N: Thanks to anyone who is actually reading this. Sorry about the poor quality- this portion of the story is really about Sasha, not Thom. **

Minutes passed. Then hours. Days too.

The only thing that changed was the light on the walls of Sasha's room. I couldn't tell whether I was sitting or standing. The only thing that mattered was that I was surrounded by her home. Her writing. Her books. Her belongings. Her memories. Her experiences.

I didn't blink, I didn't move, I didn't think. One member of my family was always watching me, preventing me from trying to kill myself. Not that I would if I had the chance.

Before I committed suicide, I would bury her body. Or at least obtain significant proof that she was dead. I couldn't risk leaving her behind because of a misunderstanding.

The idea of her broken body, her long, blue-black hair, dark blue eyes, and strong frame withering away from grief at my death was unbearable.

My definition of unbearable had greatly changed in the hours that I sat there, motionless. This existence was bearable... at least until she, either alive or dead, returned. She had to return.

I would go crazy. I was going crazy. The first insane vampire.

Vampire. Vampires were at fault for this no doubt. No, I was at fault for this. I had caused this. Me. Me. Me.

I deserved the pain coursing through my body, worse than any fire, I deserved the inability to move or even feel my limbs.

I stared blankly at the wall, the thoughts of the person I could feel in the doorway not even registering, just as the rest of my sensory in-put had disappeared.

"Thom," That was a male vampire's voice. I didn't remember his name. He wasn't important. He wasn't Sasha. He didn't know where she was. "Read this." He shoved something in front of my face.

It was a notebook. Sasha's notebook, I realized through a thick fog.

"Thom, I can hear your thoughts. I know what you're going through. I've gone through it with Bella," The mention of the girl's name reminded me that this was my brother. His name was Edward.

My eyes focused on the writing and it pierced through the fog, effortlessly reaching me. It was her writing, so I had no problem reading and comprehending it.

_I've told Finn and Alai about Thom. They understand. They are vampires as well, of course, and they understand his aversion to blood of any sort. Alai has never had blood. Not once in her existence. Finn found her because he was drawn to the numbing of the thirst that she unconsciously spread around her. Finn doesn't have quite the same level of hate of drinking blood as Thom, but he was always depressed by drinking it and he could never stop himself. Whenever he got too thirsty he became frenzied for blood. _

_Finn and Alai want to meet Thom. They want to help him. They want to help me as well- make me into a vampire. It would be completely risk free the way we have it planned. Alai will use her gift to keep my transformer from feeling any thirst or frenzy. Finn- or Thom. I want it to be Thom, but its looking unlikely- will bite me. This plan is for any emergency that might happen. I'm hoping that Thom will transform me. Then it would be his venom inside me, but, in a urgent situation, I'll settle for Finn. That will make him really my brother. Which will make Alai my sister-in-law, though Finn and Alai haven't ever actually gotten married._

_Finn will do anything to make me happier. He's more of a brother than a friend. I could never live without him now. Finn knows that Thom's struggle and pain and refusal to let me become like him, to help is... well, killing me. Finn told me yesterday that if Thom doesn't agree to change me in the next month, before school starts again, he is coming here with Alai to explain things. Finn insists that this is hurting both of us- that this situation we are living in is dangerous. I keep trying to convince Thom because I want him to make the decision on his own. I want him to decide to keep me around forever without my "big brother" glowering at him, in a very threatening manner._

_That will all have to wait, though. Tomorrow I go on a shopping trip with Alice, Thom, and the rest of the Cullens. Alice has arranged every detail, which means it's bound to be a trial. _

The page ended. I didn't move.

"Well?" Someone asked impatiently. The voice was female, arrogant, and undeniably selfish. I knew her name, but I didn't try to remember it. "Are you going to get back to your pitiful life now?"

I didn't open my mouth. I was only vaguely aware that she was speaking to me, and not someone else. She wasn't Sasha- she didn't matter.

"Thom? Do you realize what this means?" Another female voice, only this one was kind, motherly, and pained. I knew who she was without even trying. Esme, my adopted mother.

"Sasha went to them with Alice. She's going to turn herself into a vamp." The words came from a big man, that much I could tell from the booming noise they made.

"Emmett," Esme reproved.

I was still unmoving, uncaring. This was just speculation. We didn't know anything concrete. And, at this point, it didn't make any difference whether or not Sasha came back as a vampire or a human, just as long as she came back.

Alice needed to come back too. Now that I had been slightly shaken out of my stupor, I could hear the distressed thoughts of Jasper, who was watching me along with some of my other family. Alice and Sasha had to come back. Neither of us would survive without them. It simply wasn't a possibility.

And if Sasha did come back as a vampire... well, it wouldn't matter. It would still be her, even though her skin would no longer be the open flame it felt like against mine, even though her solid structure would be so much more sturdy and so much less breakable.

Sasha would always be Sasha. Always.

More time passed as I sat there, listening to Jasper's agonized thoughts. His pain was easier to bear than mine was, just because it wasn't my pain. Though it was, indirectly, my fault.

My eyes were closed and I was seriously considering another suicide attempt when I heard the sound of a loud gasp. And then the light footsteps of several vampires racing out of the room and to the first floor.

I didn't care.

Some amount of time later- was it minutes? Or maybe hours?- there was the sound of a large group of vampires ascending the stairs to the room where Jasper and I still stood... or maybe we were sitting.

There was a loud exhale of breath and a sudden, choked sob.

The words were strangled as they hit my ears, taking years to sink into my brain, "Thom! Thom."

As soon as they registered, my eyes were open and my head was turned towards the door.

Sasha, with sparkling granite skin and amber eyes, stood in the doorway, crying tearless sobs.


End file.
